


In Exile

by DarkHell616



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard (Marvel), F/M, Fluff, Miðgarðr | Midgard, Slow Burn, midgard AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 05:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 26,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14349342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkHell616/pseuds/DarkHell616
Summary: Like each possible King before him, Loki is temporarily exiled to another realm.Powerless on Midgard but still living in luxury he must learn lessons on humility and hardship before he can return to Asgard.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> A new little story that I originally was going to make as part of my Loki oneshot series, but I wasn't sure how long this will run for and figured rather than clogging up that ever growing list, I'll just make it its own thing.  
> I know the idea isn't terribly original but as long as I can have fun with it and share an enjoyable story then gosh-darn it I'm going to write it!

Loki was fed up.

Fed up of being stuck with his brother and his moronic, do-good allies.

Fed up of being on Midgard.

Fed up of not having his magic.

Just over all fed up and it had barely been two weeks.

Odin had taken it upon himself to teach Loki a lesson and, much like he had with Thor, decided that exiling Loki to Midgard and removing his abilities in magic would be the perfect way to teach him about humility and hardship.

Odin claimed it to be the perfect thing Loki would need if he truly wanted to have a throne of his own one day, at least one that didn’t involve trickery and wrongdoing to obtain.

He had noted how Thor had changed during the same test barely a year prior, a time during which Loki had enjoyed a bit of solitude and getting more attention than usual.

There had been hopes in his family that each son would learn the hardships of lesser people, to help them understand that life wasn’t going to always go their way and things wouldn’t be handed to them on a silver platter.

It was knowledge each boy would need as they grew older and the best time to teach them was shortly after each had reached adulthood on Asgard.

Being King meant that you had to deal with the issues of others as well as your own, something Thor had learned during his time on Midgard, having encountered SHIELD and becoming part of their little group of heroes.

Odin felt that Thor had learned to better himself in due course and gave him permission to return to Midgard as he wished to when this ‘Avengers’ group needed his assistance.

In all, Thor’s exile had lasted two months and Loki was determined to make sure he came home sooner than that.

In Loki’s mind, he was already on his way to becoming a wonderful King, he was intelligent beyond his years and understood more than people gave him credit for and he’d attempted to plead his case to Odin who would hear none of it and continued on with his lesson unabated.

Loki, however, had no interest in learning any such lesson and instead decided that he’d play Odin’s game for a while, perhaps four weeks maximum, and then call to him through Heimdall and lie his way back to Asgard.

It was what he did best after all.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Loki had underestimated just how long four weeks would be when living as a mortal.

He was reaching Thursday of week two and he was bored out of his skull.

Though Thor had managed to score him accommodation in Stark Tower, which had an abundance of entertainment systems, he was still getting tired of Midgard.

Loki understood what Odin was trying to get at with this so called lesson, but he couldn’t help but smirk a little at the fact that despite being exiled his brother had still managed to get him set up in a place that would be classed as luxurious to Midgardians.

All he had to do was face the boredom and this would be an easy breeze through, but that was proving to be easier said than done.

It had been that mundane Thursday morning that Loki had decided to take a look around somewhere further out than the city, he desired some quiet and figured that a smaller town outside would be suitable.

So after finding a route by bus, using that strange computer system he still wasn’t fully adapted to, and taking a stash of money, that Tony had exchanged with him for some Asgardian coins upon arrival, he left the city and went out to find some much needed quiet.

The bus ride had been strangely tranquil for the God, as the roads bumped and bustling city life became a little scarcer he found himself feeling more at ease than he had felt since arriving.

It was coming up to noon by the time Loki got off the bus, so he decided that his first course of action was to find somewhere to eat and plan the official beginning of his little adventure.

This ‘little adventure’ mostly consisted of him wandering around the Midgardian shops and browsing the odd things they decided to sell, somehow it made him miss the days he and Thor would venture out to other realms of a more mystical nature.

Things a mortal could only ever dream of.

His reminiscing turned to nostalgia which in turn turned to curiosity, the urge to learn about Midgardian customs and history, one that he had been trying to fight down since arrival, swelled inside him and this time got the better of him, so his mission to find a bookshop began.


	2. Chapter Two

It was coming up to two in the afternoon on a Thursday.

The sun had decided that today would be a great day to grace people with its presence and that meant bad business for your small shop.

There was no doubt in your mind that people were outside soaking up the sun, meanwhile you were stuck indoors, scanning in totes of boxes and moving books from said totes onto a trolley.

You didn’t overly mind it when the shop was quiet, keeping to your own business and actually getting jobs done rather than having to stop and serve at the counter every few minutes was actually a relief, but no customers meant barely any shop takings which would eventually lead to a threat of closing down were the numbers not improved.

At least your boss would be happy that the main jobs were done though, not to mention that the delivery was a measly three totes and only two of those were actual stock, the last being customer orders, so it would take barely an hour to finish if you went uninterrupted.

Twenty minutes had gone by and you’d managed to stack all the books onto a trolley and push it out onto the shop floor without any interruption, in fact it was ten minutes later when you saw the first sign of light beyond yourself.

You had a pile of books held in the crook of one arm as your other hand reached up to shuffle some books aside to make the space that you needed when you heard the sound of shuffling behind you, as you pushed the book into its placed you half turned and smiled towards the customer so they knew you worked there and were open if they needed the help.

Although you tried not to show it, you were momentarily struck in awe by the person who had just walked through those doors.

His black hair perfectly accentuated his pale skin, the sharpness of his features and his angular nose.

While he was still clearly naturally quite tall, he held himself in a confident regard that seemed to make him seem bigger despite how lean he was in stature, it was honestly quite impressive.

There was something deeply ethereal about him.

The customer glanced towards you with a completely blank expression, not offering even the faintest of smiles before heading off towards the furthest corner in the shop.

“Okay,” you mumbled to yourself, moving towards the first crime bay to slot a series back into place. “Hello to you too.”


	3. Chapter Three

It didn’t take Loki long to find a bookshop, he had barely been walking for five minutes when he stumbled across one tucked away in a shopping centre corner.

In its position it was easy to miss and gloss over, it seemed that that particular end of the shopping centre was quieter compared to the other sides he had just been to.

Which was better for him, it meant less people around to irritate him.

Stepping into the shop, he scanned the area to get a general idea of the layout and where he should browse first.

From the corner of his eye he noticed some movement and turned his head a little.

Stood in the corner was who he assumed to be an employee, seeing as it only appeared to be him and this girl who was stood on near tiptoes to reach the top shelf who were in the shop.

The girl offered him a welcoming smile, one he wasn’t particularly feeling in the mood to return.

Loki turned away and made his way to the furthest corner of the shop which was marked up with History and Science to his left and Travel and Reference to his right, in the middle stood a table of what he guessed were the popular books from the sections and four burgundy chairs.

The shop was much smaller than he first anticipated, the window display made the place seem much bigger on initial viewing than the inside actually was.

The enclosed space made him wish for his library back in Asgard, which then turned into thoughts of who was making sure that nothing happened in there in his absence.

“Probably Mother,” he murmured to himself, stepping up to the first bay in the History section and scanning the books in hopes that something would catch his eye.

Time seemed to pass slowly as he made his way through the sections that interested him the most, the worker moving around him to restock the shelves as he looked while being sure to stay out of his way.

This was something that he was alright with, he didn’t particularly care for Midgardians and was more than willing to not interact with one unless entirely necessary.

Especially not when he was still stuck with Stark for the time being.

He spent about an hour and a half looking around the small shop, piling up books that he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to get home, but he wanted them and that was that.

“Would you like a basket?”

Loki half turned and looked at the girl staring up at him.

Though your face seemed flustered and your hair was mussed from all the rushing about, your smile still seemed easy and friendly enough.

“I mean, your pile there goes up to your shin,” you continued as if taking his silence as an unspoken cue, “it may be easier for you.”

“No,” he finally answered, dropping the book he was holding on top of the aforementioned pile then picking it up. “I’m ready to go.”

“Oh, of course,” you nodded and walked over to the wooden counter in preparation of ringing him up.

You leaned against the counter with crossed arms as you waited for him to walk over, which he did slowly.

There was something odd about the way he moved, it was oddly reminiscent of a predator stalking its prey, though you put that down to the additional look in his eye that in itself was predatory enough to send a shiver down your spine.

You couldn’t deny that he gave off a dangerous vibe.

Handsome, well spoken and dangerous in appearance, this certainly spiked your attention higher than it should for a one-off customer.

Though there was also no denying that he seemed kind of haughty and up himself, which was a bit of a turn off in the grand scheme of things.

He finally reached the front of the desk and set the books on top, reaching into the pocket of his jacket to fish for his wallet.

And so, like with many other customers over the years, you put his books through, bagged them and put the money into the till drawer in relative silence, the only questions being the occasional one that involved the transaction.

You wished him a cheery goodbye as he picked up his bag and left without a word.

You turned to watch him leave with a smile before rolling your eyes once he was out of sight.

“Guess I’ll go screw myself then,” your murmured.


	4. Chapter Four

To say that Tony was unimpressed upon Loki’s return was less than an understatement.

The God lost track of how many suspicious looks and sarcastic, disapproving comments he’d gotten from the man.

“What the hell is all that?”

Loki looked up briefly to see what Tony was talking about, not surprised to see that he was indicating to the pile of books resting either side of the chair the God was sat in.

“They’re books, Stark, you may want to try reading one sometime.”

Tony glared at him but didn’t bother giving a response, instead rolling his eyes with a huff.

“You aren’t supposed to be enjoying this.”

It was Loki’s turn to roll his eyes but he tried to stay focused on his book, training his eyes on one page that he’d been trying to read for five minutes already.

“I’m on Midgard to learn about living as one, as if I’m ‘normal’ and not of royal blood, isn’t that what I’m doing?” He drawled out lazily, not feeling in the mood for the argument once again.

“No,” Tony sighed, feeling completely exasperated, “you’re still living like a royal on Midgard.”

“Which works perfectly for me.”

“That isn’t why you’re here.”

“I’m aware and quite frankly I find my reason for being here ridiculous, I can learn humility while staying in Asgard.”

“So this is like some teenage act of rebellion?”

Loki shrugged, staring at his book, “As long as it means I don’t have to stoop as low as that Midgardian, then call it what you want.”

“What person?” Tony asked.

“The shop worker.”

“The one who served you?”

Loki nodded and said nothing further, making Tony groan with a look of complete disbelief as he folded his arms.

“You’re supposed to be here to learn about being a good King.”

“And I am.”

“No, you’re not, how can you be if you look down on the little people?”

“The little people will follow my rule and do as I say, for I will be their King and that is how it shall be.”

“You’ll cause anarchy ruling with an iron fist, people like respect not dictatorship.”

Loki pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose.

“Listen to me, Stark, if I am to make a good King then I shouldn’t stoop as low as being a peasant.”

“Then you will never make a good King.”

At this, Loki’s head snapped around and he glared at Tony, his eyes dripping with the venom he wished to inject him with.

He wasn’t sure how Thor had put up with being around this man, he was indignant and far too pushy for his own good, evidently believing he was better than he actually was if he thought that he could talk down to a God.

“You know what?” Tony asked rhetorically, his jaw setting as his determination set in, “I’m done.”

“Done?” Loki replied, hoping that this meant that he would finally leave.

“Yes, done, ‘this’,” he indicated to Loki and his pile of books, “is done, finished, you’re leaving.”

The God scoffed with a cocky smile, “You’re not throwing me out, I’m here on a mission after all.”

“It’s been two weeks and there’s been no change, Thor managed to change in two days.”

“Yes, and we all know the logistics behind that one, don’t we?”

“That he managed to learn a lesson over a weekend while you’re taking more than double the time?”

“Idiots don’t question things as much as thinkers.”

Tony stared at him the ticked his jaw and shook his head.

“No, I’m through with his, you’re out.”

“What do you mean?”

Loki looked over at him but saw nothing but Tony’s retreating back, he was surprised that he wasn’t casually flipping him off as he left but all in all he didn’t care so long as he got his peace and quiet.

“You can’t just throw me out, Stark!” He yelled after him, having to have the last word.

Tony didn’t bother to reply and after a pause Loki shrugged and resumed his reading, paying no mind to Tony and his ridiculous attitude.


	5. Chapter Five

It had been a long and frustrating day when the letter arrived.

The delivery arrived forty-five minutes before the shop was due to close, meaning you had to rush booking all ten of the totes in, plus the customer orders individually on the side, and throw as much as you could onto the trolley to wheel out onto the shop floor ready for the two who would be working tomorrow.

The tills kept continuously freezing and needed to be booted, typically when you were trying to deal with a customer and most customers today, as was typical on a Tuesday you had noticed, were much shorter in attitude than they were on other days.

You’d had nothing to do most of the day after finishing re-stocking from the previous day’s delivery and tidying the shop barely took thirty minutes when no customers were around to interrupt you as regularly as they would on a Saturday.

It was quiet and there was nothing to distract you, aside from the two smaller packages of customer orders that would come in, but they were usually between one to four books and took ten minutes to book in and process so you could contact the needed people.

Other than that, you were stuck moping about and trying to find tasks, all the while dealing with people who had no manners and finding random bits of rubbish dumped in areas you had tidied barely five minutes before.

Needless to say, Tuesdays in the shop were a nightmare.

Thankfully you could rest easily knowing that you had the day after off, a day all to yourself.

Not that it ever went that way, there was always something to do, be it housework or shopping, but as it was only you you’d have to do it for there was no rush.

At least you managed to make it home unscathed and the warmth of your flat was more than welcoming.

Kicking off your shoes and throwing your coat and bag to one side, you pushed the door shut and locked it behind you before making your way to the living room, flipping through the letters you had retrieved from your box in the corridor many floors down.

As expected, most of them were bills or junk mail that you seriously suspected they just dumped into your letterbox in order to get rid of it.

Nestled amongst the junk and bills was a indiscriminate letter, nothing gave away as to what it could pertain so you guessed it was another piece of paper alerting you to a mass amount of money you knew you owed.

With no grace whatsoever, you flopped onto the couch and read through the bills, internally grimacing at the totals before throwing the letters to one side for your usual number crunching that would come later to work out how much of your ever-varying wage slip would go on them.

“How much food will I have to miss out on this month?” You mumbled to yourself, grabbing the unmarked letter.

Tearing it open with more force than you had intended, you slipped out the letter and threw the envelope to one side, puffing out your cheeks and letting out a long breath of air as you unfolded the paper.

At first your eyes skimmed over the page, attempting to find the amount of money that you owed to some anonymous company for a bill you didn’t recall racking up.

Your brows knitted together when nothing came up, and instead certain words caught your eye.

Words like; proposal, mandatory and interview.

Sitting up a little straighter, you leaned forward and read the letter over a few times to make sure that you had read it right.

Sure enough, in black and white, never changing despite the amount of times you read down the sheet, was an invitation, a word you would use lightly by the tone of the letter, to a certain address on a day they apparently ‘knew you weren’t expected in work’ and what time a car would come to pick you up.

You shook your head in disbelief and read down it one more time, also noting the emblem on the top from a company with no contact details like that of an employer or a credit card company.

Chewing on your lip, you looked towards the calendar to see that you had to wait four agonising days before finding out if this was a hoax.

Looking back at the letter, you shook your head and stared at the name signed at the bottom.

“Director Nick Fury,” you finished reading with a frown, “who the hell?”


	6. Chapter Six

You spent the next few days unable to focus on anything but the letter you received, at first it was a casual shrugging of uncaring but as the day drew closer, you found your stomach giving a small bubble each time you realized you were being called for.

It was like that time you had to make a case with Paypal to try and get some money back, the closer to closing date for the case got the more anxious you were about the result coming back and saying you had no right to a refund.

Despite your distracted mind, you managed to avoid any calamities at work and time continued to speed past like the white rabbit until the day finally arrived.

It felt like you had hardly slept at all when you woke up in the morning, your alarm blaring out loudly beside your pillow and your curtains pulled just that bit too far to the side so daylight shone into your face.

Your head was groggy and your eyes were still heavy with sleep, had you not had to get up and get ready to leave in an hour you probably would have rolled back over and gone straight back to sleep.

That’s what the luxury of a day off typically is, damned forced appointments.

Peeling yourself from your warm and comfy bedsheets, you begrudgingly turned off the alarm you were tempted to put on snooze for ten more minutes then got up and started your day.

And by starting the day you meant getting washed and dressed, having a bite to eat and then sitting on your couch to stare at the wall opposite you while thinking that this was going to be a huge scam right up until the doorbell went.

Exactly on time, exact to the second which was far too precise from your liking, though you were probably just projecting and it was a mere coincidence.

Getting up and unlocking the door to possible strangers spiked your heart rate a little and you tried to convince yourself, rather weakly, that it was just the post person with a package too bit to fit through the letter box.

When you pulled open the door, you realized how wrong you were.

Stood there with an immediate air of importance were two men, both donned head to toe in fetching black suits and intimidatingly tall, one even completed the look with some sunglasses.

They looked like two FBI agents, or maybe even MIB, and your stomach flipped and heart jolted as you realized that the letter was far too real.

One of them, the ever so slightly shorter one with a voice that sounded like sandpaper on gravel, confirmed your name and asked to see the letter, which you had to rush to the living room to grab and sate them before they would let you out to the awaiting SUV.  
The car ride was long and uncomfortable, not because the seats of the SUV were particularly hard or anything, but because you were stuck sat between two burly guys who didn’t talk and left you feeling more intimidated than an irrationally angry customer who was in the wrong but wouldn’t admit it.

Any conversation topics died at the tip of your tongue, even though you didn’t think they’d indulge you if you started one and instead you contented with fiddling your thumbs in your lap, feeling awkward and completely out of place.

You wished you had been given the chance to grab something to listen to on the way out, but they were eager to whisk you away to some unknown destination that was too far from home for comfort.

What felt like an eternity later the car finally pulled up to a heavily secured building, the surrounding wall was huge and the black gate stood tall with imposing mean on either side of it, seemingly an added measure on top of the security booth stood to one side.

The car sat still for a minute as the security guard chatted with the driver and then you were buzzed through to drive up the long road, trees and a large field seemingly stretched on for miles despite how close the building looked from behind the gates.

You recognized the building as one you had passed a few times but thought nothing of, it looked like any other kind of corporate building and nothing stood out about it in particular apart from its vast size.

Finally seeing beyond the black gates was an experience you’d never forget.

As you were driven towards the entrance you saw workers in various styled suits rushing about outside, some carrying peculiar looking objects, others wearing what looked like stereotypical lab coats and holding clipboards.

It was like something out of a film and for a flickering moment, you began to wonder if you were invited here to be used as some kind of military experiment.

The car had barely pulled to a stop when you were hastily rushed out and being led into the entrance, which opened into a wide area of too white walls, gleaming glass and the most insane architecture you had witnessed and this was where you were met by a woman with a stoic expression and brown hair pulled into a ponytail,

You wanted to be happy that you were finally being passed off to someone who was at least a little less intimidating, but even this woman had you on edge.

“Thank you,” she spoke to your two security guards for the past hour, “I’ll take it from here.”

The two men who had escorted you gave curt nods and headed out without a word, you were beginning to suspect that one of them couldn’t talk at all.

Her eyes turned to you and she seemed to give you a brief once before.

“Sorry for the abruptness of this, but Director Fury had to see you urgently,” she said, her tone clipped and to the point.

“I see,” you nodded, not entirely comfortable with what was going on.

“If you’d like to follow me.”

Maria immediately turned and walked across the room then down one of the many corridors that the main entrance broke in to, you had to rush a little to keep up as she barely gave you time to register what she had said.

More silence followed and you were led through a maze of stark white corridors, supremely high-tech elevators and security doors until, after what felt like an eternity of walking, she finally stopped outside a grey door.

Behind which sat an awaiting Director Fury and the beginning of a turn in your life that you would never forget.


	7. Chapter Seven

You sat in the chair opposite him, your leg bouncing as he flipped through a folder that had been sitting on his desk when you’d stepped in.

He made you nervous.

His entire demeanor gave way to his authority and it was more than clear that this man was a man of power, one not to be questioned if you valued your life.

The eyepatch didn’t help with lessen the image either.

The constant silence was beginning to grate on your nerves and you found yourself clearing your throat and shuffling, this pulled his attention to you and for a minute you wouldn’t have been surprised if he had forgotten you were there.

“Hey, relax,” he said in a friendlier tone that you had anticipated, though it still wasn’t without its edge of slight command.

“I’m trying, I’m just getting a little antsy about everything.”

“I can imagine you are.”

Fury set the folder down and rested his hands on top of it, his fingers lacing together as he regarded you.

“It says on our records that you work in a bookshop, correct?”

“Um, yes?” You replied hesitantly, frowning at the mention of a record.

Why would this strange man and his FBI-looking associates have any sort of record on you?

Sure, maybe you weren’t the perfect, squeaky clean human being, but you had never been in trouble with the law and didn’t know of any other records outside of work documents that they could have access to.

It was a strange beginning to a conversation that didn’t help you decipher why you were here, but at least you were finally talking.

“Of course you do,” he said in a tone that seemed too self-assured, as if he was just asking to find a way to make conversation, “and you were the one who served someone under our observation, tall man with dark hair, bit smug looking, goes by the name Loki Laufeyson.”

Your confused brow deepened, and you shook your head with a little shrug.

“I serve a lot of people, so many faces come and go and I don’t remember taking an order for anyone with that unique a surname.”

“I see, this would have been around,” he flipped through the sheets in front of him before looking at you with his uncovered eye, “September 27th.”

Leaning back in your seat, you cross your arms and drum your fingers against your elbow as you think back to that particular day.

It wasn’t easy to keep track of certain customers or events when at work, days would blend into one another and certain events were skewed to the point beyond recognition.

Heck, there had been times you’d confused the years in which things had been shifted around within the shop, time was an odd concept that slipped by too fast and it made memories easy to confuse and muddle.

At your lack of response, Director Fury pulled out another sheet of paper from among the many others and set it down in front of you.

Staring up at you, with a look of complete loathing that had been aimed at the camera when the photo was taken, was a face you were surprised that you had forgotten.

Was it really the 27th you’d served him?

Wow, how time slipped by.

“Oh, that’s him? Yes, I remember him,” you looked at the Director, who seemed to have a perpetual scowl that unnerved you. “Did he do something wrong?”

Your stomach flipped at the thought of you somehow becoming an unknowing accomplice to some scandalous activity, you knew that he was too handsome to be any kind of good news.

“Not as such.” 

He leaned back in his chair, his eye never leaving you with a look that you couldn’t quite read.

You felt your skin crawl from uncomfortableness as he observed you, your nerves shot enough without his silent staring.

“We need a keeper for him.”

“Pardon?” You asked, taken aback for a moment.

Needless to say, you were not expecting that.

“I understand that it may seem a little peculiar, but we have our reasons.”

“Of course, but you know I’m not a caretaker.”

“No, but you are the best candidate from the people Loki has talked to beyond our associates.”

“We barely spoke for five minutes.”

“That information is irrelevant, we needed someone who has the experience he needs to learn.”

You frowned and shook your head a little, feeling a pressure growing behind your eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m not following.”

“Loki is visiting under a tradition of his people, to learn lessons to help him one day be a better King,” Fury began, looking as exasperated as you felt, “but he’s not progressing as we’d like him to and we thought it would be best if he went to live with someone,” he paused for a minute and you could see that he was trying to find the right word, “normal.”

“Normal?”

“Yes, as in bill paying, hardworking and self-catering, someone who can’t just get everything with a clap of their hands and all the money at their disposal.”

“Basically a functioning member of society.”

“Something like that, he’s currently living in Stark Tower and has learned nothing, we think it’s time he got a taste of what it’s like for his people to live without luxury.”

“And you think I’m the person for this? That I’d volunteer my time to look after a stuck-up man-child?”

“Not volunteer, no,” he smiled and it put you a little on edge, it was definitely the smile of a cunning man who knew how to play his cards, “we would compensate you for your time, we know you have some debts to pay off and it’s only fair.”

You eyed him warily, uncertainty building.

It was true, you did have bills stacking on top of bills as the result of adulthood being a lot harsher than you had first anticipated.

Things had started out simply, but one tug of the rug beneath your feet had sent you spiraling into a pool of owing companies’ money who were desperate to get their dues, even if it meant you were only scraping by and could just about afford some food and other amenities.

A lump of money would definitely come in handy, a mass pay off of bills would leave your wages solely for food, rent and other household expenses as well as internet.

You worried your bottom lip between your teeth and sat for an extended period, Fury’s stare never shifting from you.

“How much are we talking?” You finally asked, your eyes looking up from your lap.

His smile grew wider and it felt almost predatory, the victory of a hunt well done.

He flipped open the folder in front of him and produced a cheque, setting it on top of the photo of Loki.

You couldn’t believe your eyes when you saw the amount.

Your hands shook as you lifted the cheque just to make sure you truly saw what you thought you had.

There were so many zeroes, this was more money that you would ever make in a lifetime of working the hours you were and it was more than enough to pay off your debts and allow you to live comfortably.

Your throat constricted as your bottom lip quivered ever so slightly.

He had you, there was no way that you could turn down this opportunity, not if you wanted a fresh start to life without the constant worry of how much you were making a month.

“Is..” you cleared your throat to try and offset the tightness and set the cheque down again, “is he dangerous?”

“Possibly,” he answered honestly, tilting his head into the word, “but we’d make sure some of our men were watching in case anything should happen.”

You let out a long breath and nodded, your eyes never leaving the cheque until you sighed and closed your eyes.

“Okay.”

“We have a deal?”

You opened your eyes again to see him producing what looked like a contract from the sheets, a pen being pulled from a drawer you couldn’t see but could hear being opened.

“We do.”

Fury set the contract and paper down in front of you, watching as you hesitantly picked them both up to read over before signing on the dotted line.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”


	8. Chapter Eight

You still weren’t entirely sure what you had signed up for.

After you had left Director Fury’s office, a copy of the contract clutched tightly in your hand, the rest of the day had flown by in a blur and before you knew it light had faded and night had descended.

You couldn’t recall eating or drinking anything nor doing any of the errands you had intended to do on your day off as you typically did, even the car ride home was one huge blur.

It was only when you were re-reading the contract that the world seemed to come back into focus, in fact everything switched onto high alert and your heart began to race worryingly fast as the severity of the situation sunk in.

Certain words on the pages sprung out and it was becoming more and more evident that you had dug yourself into a hole, getting involved in a top of the mark and unnervingly secretive agency.

Not only that but you had agreed to home a potentially dangerous stranger, who also happened to be a God, for money.

A large sum of money that could set you up for life, but still all for monetary gain.

A man who you only knew liked reading and gave the first impression of being severely up his own ass.

“What have I done?” You asked aloud, the empty room offering no response.

Your only saving grace was the small detail that his powers were stripped, that at least lessened his threat level.

“Of course, they wouldn’t have asked this of me otherwise, would they?”

Another five minutes of re-reading the contract passed before you shook your head and set it to one side, flopping back in your seat and closing your eyes with a long and loaded sigh.

“I can’t keep fretting about it,” you scolded yourself, “you’ve signed the dotted line, what’s done is done.”

Though the question if backing out did raise up a few times.

What if you couldn’t handle it and wanted out?

What if something came up that meant you couldn’t be the caretaker to a powerless God?

Director Fury hadn’t given you a number should you need anyone and nothing was on the paperwork, at least not that you’d noticed during your countless times of re-reading it, so what were you meant to do if you wanted out?

Although despite your hesitations, you doubted that you would want to unless it was drastic, you really needed this money.

With another sigh, you opened your eyes and stood up, feeling the need for a hot drink and some food as your empty stomach was beginning to make your head a little fuzzy and this didn’t help with your fretting.

Instead you opted to try and push your worrying onto making sure your place was presentable when he arrived, you had just under a week to sort everything out from top to bottom and make sure that everything was in place.

Not for Loki’s benefit, but for your own sake of mind that he wouldn’t scrutinise every little thing and criticise how you lived.

But that did bring up the question of if anything that wasn’t beyond lavish would be good enough for him, you suspected not but there was every chance that you would be pleasantly surprise.

Either way it was a good pastime to keep your mind occupied and to stave off the headache that overthinking was bringing on, the pressure building in your temples was steadily climbing into the realm of uncomfortable.

You had three days in work and then almost a week off, by the Friday morning of that week you’d have a new lodger and your world would shift dramatically.

Making a plan, you decided to use that evening to relax and try to calm your nerves with some TV watching or web surfing, anything to keep your mind numb and prepared for work starting the next morning.

After those three days were up, you’d use your time to sort everything else out.

To set up a room for him, to go shopping for some extra food with the little money you still had, the payment from S.H.I.E.L.D, as Director Fury had called them, wouldn’t even begin to process until Loki had been there a week, and finally you’d tidy before spending the last day pampering yourself.

Heading into the kitchen, you glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall and chewed on your lip a little before grabbing a pen and jotting down your first note on that month.

In red letters, you wrote in capitals ‘LOKI ARRIVES’ and circled it, as you’d seen done in many films, and then set the pen back down and stared at the date.

You had six days of solidarity left and you just knew that they were going to fly by.


	9. Chapter Nine

“What kind of insult is this?” Loki sneered.

His eyes were narrowed as he glared around the people stood before him, each staring him down and not allowing him to intimidate them with the venom that dripped from his gaze.

“We gave you fair warning,” Tony stated with a shrug.

“You were given chances, Loki,” Thor continued, sighing, “but you haven’t even been attempting to work on your trial.”

“Because it’s ridiculous.”

“It is to prove your right to be King.”

Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away from them as his jaw tensed.

“Besides, it’s done now,” Tony shrugged, “someone has been found and they’ve signed the contract, you’re gone.”

Loki stared daggers at the man he had come to loathe more by the day, his teeth gritting harder at the smug look on Tony’s face.

“If you think for one iota of a second that I will stoop so low-”

“I don’t think, Loki,” he smirked, “I know.”

His blood boiled and he clenched his fists at his sides, the usual surge of power he would usually feel being absent made him feel useless, weak and at their whim, something that he had never been particularly fond of.

“You make a mockery of a God.”

“No, I’m making a mockery of you.”

Thor looked at the man beside him, his brows slightly knitted together, “What of that time when you told me-”

“Not the time or the place, Thor.”

Loki rolled his eyes and turned away from the two, intending to shut himself in his room and leave them standing there to discuss things among themselves.

It wasn’t unusual for them to make decisions without him, whether they were regarding him or not.

He’d barely stepped a foot into the hall when Tony called after him.

“You have until next Thursday to pack your things up or I’ll do it for you.”

He managed to resist the urge to snark back at him and continued to his room.

In truth, he felt ridiculous.

A God of his status being treated like a reprimanded child was more than embarrassing and he felt his pride being stabbed at, something he wasn’t unfamiliar with but wasn’t too pleased with experiencing due to a Midgardian.

His bought of anger flared the more he thought about what was happening.

They had shunted him off to another Midgardian, one who was apparently significantly poorer and lived in less luxury, all because he wasn’t doing as well as they saw fit.

Who were they to decide how he was to tackle his trial?

Learning to be a King wasn’t hard and it most certainly didn’t mean stooping to the ridiculous levels Odin believed he had to in order to obtain the knowledge, he could learn by watching the people and taking notes.

It was his way of educating himself, observing rather than doing was more suited to him.

Of course, that wasn’t good enough for the great All-Father.

Loki rolled his eyes at the thought and surprised a grumble of unabashed annoyance, he wanted nothing more than for his appeals to be heard and for him to return to Asgard.

Upon entering his room and turning the lights on, he realized he wouldn’t get the alone time to think as he so desired.

Sat on the end of his bed, looking as elegant as ever in a light blue dress with her hair done up beautifully was his mother, Frigga, her usual soft and loving smile brightening as she set eyes on her son.

He knew she wasn’t there corporeally, that she was expending ridiculous amounts of her seiðr and energy just to visit him and while he appreciated the gesture he really didn’t want to speak to anyone until he had calmed down.

“Mother,” he sighed out, trying to calm himself, “now really isn’t a good time.”

“Is it ever?” She laughed lightly, her hands resting clasped together in her lap.

“Some occasions more than others, this not being one of them,” he looked at her with the best smile he could muster, though he knew it wasn’t a strong one, “unless you’re visiting about my request.”

Frigga’s smile turned from one of motherly love to one that expressed all he needed to know without using words, a smile of understanding but also regret.

“You already know the answer to that, Loki.”

“Of course I do,” he huffed, once again feeling like a child sulking as he crossed his arms, “as if he would actually listen to me.”

“It is for the best.”

“How is me being holed up with some disgusting Midgardian ‘for the best’?” He sneered, attempting to internally stamp down the feeling of guilt that was building from his attitude towards her.

His mother was one of the only people he trusted beyond words and knew trusted him, wanted the best for him and wasn’t biased because he wasn’t the favored son.

“That is exactly why,” she replied gently, one of her hands moving from her lap to rest atop the bed covers. “You must learn to change the way you think about those not in the fortune you are.”

“I can do that perfectly from Asgard without being stuck in close proximity to someone who doesn’t have the knowledge to make their lives better.”

Frigga regarded him silently and he watched as a familiar, saddened frown slipped into place.

One that made him wince and have to look away.

He hated that look.

“I had faith in you, Loki, I thought you of all people would flourish in the face of such a challenge.”

“Mother-”

“Please don’t,” she cut him off, “you are smart enough to know why you must do this and to see you acting so indignantly truly makes me worry for your future.”

“What future?” He almost growled out bitterly, “we all know Thor will take the throne and I shall be left behind, probably married off to keep peace bonds between the realms.”

“I would never wish that upon you, I just want to see you prosper and become the wonderful man I know you can be if you just put your pride to rest.”

Loki stared at her, unsure of what to say.

He hated to admit that he was wrong, especially when it meant admitting that someone else was right.

Frigga stood from her spot on the bed and moved towards him, for a moment Loki thought he could feel the familiar motherly warmth that she always offered as he was growing up as she got closer.

Another thing he didn’t want to admit that he needed.

Had she not been a mere illusion, he may have reached out to take her hand or hold her as he used to when he was younger.

Her smile gave away that she knew it was what he needed and she too wished that she could give him the comfort he needed.

“You can work through this, Loki,” she smiled encouragingly, causing his heart to give a painful squeeze, “and I shall await in Asgard for word of your triumph.”

There was a lingering second in which they both simply stared at each other, an unspoken bond between the two before her visage faded with a look of pure love that stuck with him long after she had gone.

Once he was alone, he took a deep breath and looked around the mostly empty room.

Beyond his bed, there was an empty desk in one corner and a barely filled chest of drawers in the other, other than that the room was littered with piles of books.

Everywhere he looked had a book of some kind laying there and it filled him with the sense of familiarity from his own library at home that he craved.

He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, realizing that there was only one way out of this, whether he liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having too much fun writing Loki as a complete jerk, but I promise he won't always be such a twat!  
> The awaited move in is near.


	10. Chapter Ten

It was a relief when Thursday evening finally rolled around.

All week you had been fretting and stressing about every little detail possible, your mind constantly jumping to the biggest what if’s over the smallest of situations.

This had led you to being a lot more thorough on things than you initially intended to be, which was both a good and a bad thing.

Good because it meant that your home was surprisingly spotless for when Loki arrived, almost to the point where it almost felt brand new and unlived in.

Bad because the constant racing of your mind was affecting you physically, with shakes, headaches and an unhealthy loss of appetite, to the point where even thinking of forcing yourself to eat for health benefits made you feel ill.

But that stress seemed to have dissipated a mere few hours before he was due to arrive, in fact you felt much lighter and care-free than you had in days and your stomach growled loudly in the hopes that you would finally give it some much needed sustenance.

It was a surprising change considering that just the night before you had struggled to sleep and instead found yourself lying in bed, your thoughts bouncing this way and then that way with no cohesion or order, just anything and everything all at once.

You worked on getting yourself some food and relaxing for those final hours, finally allowing your body a chance to settle and ease out the tension as you stared at some random show that made no sense to you all the while shoveling in the much needed food.

Time sped by once again until the final half an hour of freedom arrived, then everything slowed and your nerves began to spike up once again.

You would find yourself staring at the clock, willing the hands to move faster and daring the time to bring in the tornado that was to uplift everything you once knew.

There was an uncomfortable spike in your heartbeat and your nerves started to get a little jittery, making your stomach flutter each time you glanced up and noted it was gradually drawing closer.

A few times you had made rounds to distract yourself, attempting to find something to adjust just to keep your hands and mind busy, but with everything already being cleaned immaculately due to the nerves you’d faced all week, there was nothing left to do but stand in the middle of the room and wait.

Wait for that dreaded knock on the door.

Which caused you to jump and stare towards the door like you were waiting for a horror movie slasher to crash through when the rapid, hard knocks reverberated against the wood.

You took one more supposed nerve calming breath then walked to the door, pulling it open with the slightest bit of hesitance.

Stood behind the door, dressed in the same get up as the men who came to pick you up before you had signed your privacy away, were two indistinguishable beasts in suits, their hands were clasped behind their backs as they stared down at you unnervingly.

“He has arrived,” the tallest one stated, his voice booming and shaking your bones uncomfortably.

“I guessed,” you somehow managed to blurt out, despite the fact that your mouth and tongue felt both numb and like lead at the same time.

“Where’d you want his stuff?” The second balding man asked in a softer but still gruff voice.

“Um, I have the guest room ready.”

They both nodded at each other and turned to leave.

As they left, three other men approached, seemingly appearing out of nowhere as the other two side stepped to allow them free passage between them.

Two of the three were instantly recognizable, the third you could easily hazard a guess to the identity of due to descriptions you had heard.

“Wow, Tony Stark?”

Tony, who was stood on Loki’s left and your right, looked at you with a smirk and a shrug that was probably meant to be uncaring but held the typical hot shot attitude he was known for.

“That’d be me.”

“How awesome,” you smiled.

“A fan, I take it?”

“Not particularly, but it’s still an honour to have someone like you at my house whether I’m a fan or not.”

Loki rolled his eyes and looked even more displeased than he had before, if that were possible.

“We’re not here to stroke your ego,” he drawled, his face set in stone.

“You’re right, we’re here to drop off a burden who over stayed their welcome.”

Loki opened his mouth to reply, whether it be a snide remark or a protest, but his voice was quietened by a harsh pat on his shoulder and a laugh by the man who stood on Loki’s right.

“You know Stark only jests, Loki, no need for such a sour look.”

It was evident from the look in his blue eyes that he was more trying to convince Loki not to start something than believing it was truly a joke, but that pleading look clearly sent a message as Loki rolled his eyes after glaring at the blond man.

“Now allow me to introduce myself,” he continued, his friendly smile being contagious, “I am Thor of Asgard, son of Odin and brother of Loki.”

“Really?” You asked, glancing between the two and being unable to suppress the wry smile at the glaring differences, “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“We’re not biologically related,” Loki grumbled, looking off to the side as if he was ashamed to be in Thor’s presence.

“Not that that has meant anything before,” Thor chuckled, giving his brother’s shoulder a rub that almost threw Loki off balance, “we are like blood.”

“Now we’re done with formalities,” Tony interrupted, “want to show him around while we bring his stuff in? Hope you’re ready for loads of books.”

“Sounds like home already,” you laughed.

Tony and Thor stepped away from Loki, after giving him a gentle push forward, and headed back to a large SUV that was parked behind the one they had obviously been riding in.

You glanced at Loki, chewing on your lip a little and stepped aside, indicating for him to enter and shatter your privacy.

“Welcome to your new home.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

Loki cast a look around the small living room and scrunched up his face in distaste, evidently not caring if you witnessed his displeasure or not.

“Is this really where we’ll be staying?” He asked, turning on the spot to scan over the layout behind him.

“It’s the only home I own,” you shrugged helplessly, wishing for a distraction.

“Of course it is.”

You sighed and looked away from him, not being able to take the disappointed look on his face.

Even though he was a stranger to you, it still hurt knowing that he wasn’t taking well to the home you had taken extra care of in preparation for his arrival, something you felt foolish for but pride was an uncontrollable emotion and you couldn’t control being upset by his lack of approval.

“I’m going to help the others, maybe get to know them a little better while I can.”

You quickly turned and rushed out of the room, needing to get out some questions in private before they disappeared and left you alone with this ice block of a man.

Had you looked over your shoulder, you would have seen Loki watching as you retreated with a small smirk playing on his lips.

Thor was stepping up to the front door as you neared it, two large boxes in his arms that were large enough to make your own muscles ache in sympathy, even though it didn’t seem to be phasing him.

As he stepped in, you let out a small exclaim of surprise and stepped to one side to avoid any collision, Thor looked down at you with an apologetic look and a quirked smile.

“Sorry, I couldn’t see you.”

“I’m not surprised,” you smiled, “you may be tall but the boxes are still in the way, do you need some help?”

“Not at all, thank you, but you could guide me to Loki’s room.”

You nodded and gently took hold of his wrist, you led him through the small hallway and tried not to laugh as he stumbled or tripped a few times over the shoes you’d typically left in the hall when you weren’t too lazy to take them off upon entry.

With a bit of a squeeze, he managed to move through the doorway without any other casualties and set the boxes down beside the bed.

Thor dusted off his hands whilst glancing around the room, nodding slowly until he smiled warmly at you.

“I like this, it’s very homely.”

“You’re the only one who thinks so,” you huffed, unable to stop a childish pout as you leant against the doorframe.

“He’ll come to like it.”

You looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not bothering to keep the complete look of disbelief off your face which only succeeded in making him laugh.

“Trust me, he may be stubborn but he can also be surprisingly homely himself once he’s settled down.”

“Right,” you nodded, crossing your arms.

You didn’t want to doubt Thor, if anyone would know Loki beyond the petulant attitude he had shown so far it would be his own brother, but you were having a hard time taking his word for it considering the attitude you had witnessed so far.

There wasn’t a high hope in Hell that this was going to pass as quickly as you’d hope it would and that thought worried you further, how long would he be staying?

Fury hadn’t disclosed that information and you hadn’t asked before effectively signing your life away.

What if it took years?

Maybe you should have asked for more money, even if the thought made you feel ridiculously greedy considering the more than substantial amount you would already be getting.

A strong hand clasping onto your shoulder pulled you from your thoughts, the fingers giving you a squeeze that you were sure was meant to be gentler than it was.

You looked up at Thor, who was giving you a calming smile.

“Don’t worry, Loki is a smart man, he shall learn under the right guidance.”

“He didn’t with his previous set up.”

“Because he still had access to luxuries that you don’t have access to,” he seemed to pause and consider what he’d said if his little wincing twitch was anything to go by, “no offence.”

“None taken, it’s the truth.”

“I just think he needs to learn a bit of humility and morality, which I think he’ll get in troves here.”

You laughed and shook your head, averting your eyes and trying to fight down the blush that was threatening to redden your face at the words you took as some kind of strange compliment, even if they weren’t intended as such.

Having a man like Thor complimenting the lessons you could give another God was oddly satisfying, hearing such words coming from a man of his status and stature gave you a strangely strong sense of empowerment.

It didn’t even have to do with how the words were coming from an admittedly handsome man, it was purely the sentiment behind the words.

“If you two are done talking about me like I’m a deaf and dumb dog, I’d like to get into my room.”

You started at Loki’s voice being so close that he could have whispered those words and they still would have been as if he’d spoken them and half turned so your back was to the doorframe, Thor’s hand leaving your shoulder as he too took a step away from you.

Thor gave his brother a quick smile then dashed out, calling back something about there being plenty more books for him to unpack, which was astounding considering the amount of boxes the two bouncer-like men had brought in as Thor and Tony talked outside.

Loki stepped past you and scanned the room, much like he had with the living room and the kitchen, you dreaded how he was going to react to the size of the bathroom and the fact that the tub didn’t come with a built in jacuzzi.

For a moment, you watched him as he moved about the room and investigated, transfixed by his beauty that radiated the most when he wasn’t talking in that smooth voice to distract you.

With his mouth not spewing out words of disinterested bile, he was definitely someone you could enjoy living with if only for pure eye candy reasons.

There was something hauntingly elegant about the way he moved, even if it was purely a few steps across a room.

“You’re staring,” he stated, not looking away from the view he had out of the window.

“Ah, yes,” you cleared your throat and pushed away from the doorframe, “I am, I apologize.”

“Don’t,” Loki chuckled, finally smirking at you over his shoulder, “I would too if I were you.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, walking away from his room.

Had he just kept quiet that moment could have been considered somewhat relaxed.

Then he ruined his outer beauty by releasing his inner narcissist into the air in only two sentences.

For the first time in your life you had a housemate and you were also, for the first time, considering laying down some house rules.

It seemed petty, but it was one way to feel like you had some power over this mystical entity now taking over your privacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What kind of house rules would you put in place?  
> I'd say no bringing other girls to taint the home, can't have the owner getting jealous now, can we? ;)


	12. Chapter Twelve

After everything had been moved and Thor bid farewell to his brother, the night turned quiet and passed uneventfully.

Loki decided to shut himself in his room and didn’t emerge while you were still awake, there wasn’t a lock on the door but you decided it was best to leave him be and you weren’t too eager to go knocking anyway.

You’d spent the night staring but not registering a show you’d put on purely for background noise, all your energy had dissipated by the time they’d gone, no doubt that this was because of all the stress and nerves finally catching up to you.

By the morning, you found yourself more rested than you had in a while and despite how you appreciated the gesture, your body seemed to be the exact opposite.

There was a pounding in your head, only small but still irritating, your limbs were stiff and your mouth felt like it was made of felt.

All in all, you felt like Hell and were thankful you weren’t in work that day.

When you had finished your morning routine, which thankfully involved a thorough scrubbing of your teeth to help alleviate your felt mouth syndrome, you slowly waddled into the kitchen to set about making breakfast.

Loki was already up and invading your cupboards, murmuring to himself as he ripped the doors open and then let them harshly fall shut when he was done.

You noted how he was still wearing the elaborate clothes he had been when he arrived the day before, a strange attire of flattering colours that could only suit a God of his stature and not look ridiculously out of place.

“What are you doing?” You asked tiredly, wincing at the loud bang made your head thump painfully.

“I’m searching for something edible in here, do you only eat trash?”

“It’s all I can afford,” you rolled your eyes, though a flickering thought reminded you that soon you’d be able to go to one of the fancier shops to get food, if you wanted to spend an entire month’s wages on a single chocolate bar at least.

“Well you really should buy some better food,” he continued, looking at you pointedly.

“What are you? The food police?”

“If I were, I’d certainly have to arrest you.”

You shook your head and walked to the fridge, pulling it open.

“Just go and sit down in the other room, I’ll make us something.”

“You can actually cook?”

“If I say no and you can’t either, does that mean you’ll starve and leave my life a little sooner?”

Loki chuckled and you heard his boots scuff along the floor, heading towards the living room.

“I’m afraid we aren’t that easy to get rid of.”

“A girl can dream,” you sighed.

You decided to make him a welcoming breakfast, choosing to break the ice between you both with some hearty food in the hopes that maybe he’d show a different side that wasn’t arrogant or annoying.

There was also a slither of hope that maybe it’d help you feel better as well.

Grabbing out the ingredients you’d need from the fridge, cupboard and freezer, you set about making him the heartiest of breakfasts that you could muster up.

The smell of cooking food instantly made your stomach start rumbling and you looked forward to tucking into your own plate, which inevitably made the cooking part go by that much slower.

From the other room, you could hear the television being switched from one channel to another as Loki channel surfed for something decent to watch, not that he would find anything at this time in the morning.

Plating up the food, you grabbed the cutlery you’d both need and carried it all into the living room, you glanced at Loki as you set everything down on top of the coffee table then straightened up with a stretch.

“Want some orange juice or coffee?” You offered, heading back towards the kitchen.

“I’m more of a tea kind of man, personally.”

“Then tea it shall be.”

Just as you were about to step out of the room, Loki picked up the plate and inspected the food, his mouth slightly quirked to one side as he regarded it until he eventually looked at you.

“What is this?”

“It’s food, eggs, toast and bacon.”

“You’re sure it’s edible?”

“Loki, if you don’t like it then go and make something yourself.”

You gave him a brief glare then stepped back into the kitchen, resisting the urge to flip him off while he couldn’t see you.

When you returned a few minutes later, a warm mug in each hand, you found that he’d already eaten a significant amount.

“Not bad for something that isn’t edible,” you quipped, setting a cup down in front of him before taking your own seat.

“Hunger will do anything to someone, even a slug would look appetizing.”

“Truly Shakespearean.”

You grabbed your plate and leaned back in your seat, eating eagerly to not only fill your stomach but to also prevent yourself from having to eat cold food.

Loki ate silently, his eyes trained on the show that he had decided to put on, something from the history channel that you wouldn’t have picked personally, but if it kept him quiet then you were more than happy to let him indulge in his curiosity.

Once plates and mugs were empty, you set about transferring them into the kitchen ready for wash up, Loki remained on the couch watching the show that still had about five minutes left.

As you ran the water from the hot tap, waiting for it to heat up, you started mentally preparing yourself for the next step that was bound to cause some tension between you both and put more pressure on your already strained nerves.

It wasn’t something you necessarily wanted to do, but felt would need to be done if you were to live with this man.

Every now and then your eyes would flicker towards the living room, the minutes ticking by and the crockery that needed washing dwindling until it was time to dry your hands and step back into the room.

Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the remote and turned the television off, gaining Loki’s attention.

Throwing the device onto the chair behind you, you stared at the God for a few lingering moments before opening the floodgates and uttered the words you fretted about having to say.

“Loki, we’re going to have to set some ground rules if you’re going to live here.”

He looked at you with absolutely no expression until he quirked his head to one side and his eyebrows furrowed.

“I beg your pardon?”


	13. Chapter Thirteen

“This is ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous, but the best for us.”

Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away from you as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a child not getting their own way.

After your cleaning session after breakfast, you had set about preparing for the next stage of Loki’s stay, the one bit that you weren’t full prepared to get into just yet due to his nature but also one that you needed to lay down before you got too cosy with each other’s company.

Once everything was washed up, rubbish and leftovers were thrown away and any leftover ingredients were put into the fridge, you wiped down the counter, ripped a sheet of paper from one of your many notebooks and called Loki into the kitchen.

“I don’t need rules.”

“Well I think you do.”

“Well I think that you Midgardians should keep your business to yourself, as I will keep mine to myself.”

“And typically I do, but you are now living under my roof and I am setting some ground rules, which I will add to if need be.”

There was a brief glaring match between the both of you before Loki looked away again, his face twisted in displeasure.

You shook your head and started putting bulleted numbers down on the sheet of paper, you weren’t sure how many you would need in total so went to five and left it there for the time being.

“Alright, rule number one, no complaining about the food.”

“And what if it really is awful?”

“Then you’ll have to learn to cook for yourself.”

Loki grumbled and shot a dirty look towards you, which managed to make you smile despite yourself.

Needless to say, you were already enjoying this torture way too much.

“Rule number two, we will each clean up after our own messes.”

“Excuse me? You don’t have servants to do that for you?”

You lifted your head up from the paper you were writing on to look at him, noting the cheeky smirk that showed that he was, thankfully, only joking.

“You almost had me there for a second,” you commented.

“I may be a Prince, but I’ll have you know that I am not attuned to mess, that is more Thor’s style and even he wasn’t that bad.”

“I’m actually kind of surprised.”

Somehow despite the task that you were both partaking in, one which Loki had already whined about having to do, there was a comfortable and amicable atmosphere that coated the room.

He had taken the first two relatively well and you hoped that things would continue down this path, though that was a fleeting thought as you thought of one niggling voice in your head piped up with a suggestion you knew he was going to hate.

You mentally noted to mention that bit last.

“Rule number three,” you continued after clearing your throat and trying to divert your attention, “for at least an hour after I get back from work, I am to have some alone time.”

“That’s easy enough for me, I don’t particularly want to be around you anyway.”

“Okay, that hurt.”

“They do say that the truth hurts.”

You flipped him off and tapped your pen against the paper, glaring down at the poor sheet as if it had been the one that wronged you.

“Whatever, rule number four, no bringing hook ups to the house.”

“Pardon?”

“Hook ups,” you replied, trying not to laugh at his bemused face, “like random dates that you plan on sleeping with and never seeing again.”

“I’m insulted you would even insinuate I’d be that kind of person.”

“If the stories about you in Norse mythology is anything to go by then I’d say you’re more likely to bring multiple people and maybe a horse while also having a girlfriend.”

Loki scoffed and shook his head, “We all know the horse story was hardly that linear and those stories refer to my previous lives.”

“Now it’s my turn to ask, pardon?”

“You don’t know the theory of a God’s life?”

You frowned in thought, pursing your lips a little before shrugging.

“Sorry, not a clue.”

“It is said that once you have reached the status of a God you can go no higher, so when you die you are reborn as that same God.”

“Oh, I see, so you’re Loki but not mythology Loki?”

“In layman’s terms, yes.”

“That’s actually pretty interesting,” you smiled, leaning against the counter with crossed arms, “so you’re still Loki but not the Loki that did those things?”

“Technically and there were many Loki’s before him as there shall be many after me.”

“Wow, for once you actually come across as kind of interesting.”

“I have my moments,” he chuckled.

“Though it’s almost a shame, I kind of liked the image of you as a red head and Thor in a wedding dress.”

“If that is what amuses you then I shall invite you to our next feast on Asgard, once the mead starts flowing things get a little out of hand.”

You laughed at the mental image that flared up and smiled at him, pointing your pen towards him.

“I’ll hold you to that because you’re going to hate the next rule.”

Loki’s face instantly fell and his eyes narrowed suspiciously, you could see his body tense underneath what you learned he called his ‘armour’.

“I’m dreading to hear what this will be.”

“And I dread telling you.”

There was a silence as you stalled, mentally preparing yourself for the bit you knew he was going to hate.

“Alright, for now the fifth and final rule, unless I find something else we need to negotiate on-”

“We are hardly ‘negotiating’ right now.”

“-is that you will need to find a job.”

Loki’s entire being seemed to freeze and stutter to a halt as his eyes widened and he looked at you as if you had just told him that all books, bar your own, were to be confiscated indefinitely.

“Excuse me?!”


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Three weeks crawled by at a painfully slow pace and you could guarantee that Loki would have complained at least twice during the day.

“The towels are so rough, what do you wash them in, sandpaper?”

“Your tea is weak, why don’t you buy a good brand rather than this watered-down rubbish?”

“You don’t buy wine? What kind of travesty is this?”

It was beginning to get grating, to the point where you found solace in going to work and facing customers who didn’t know what they wanted but knew that the book was blue.

During this time you had been supervising him in his job search, not fully trusting him to go through with what you had discussed.

The offence he had taken to being told to get a job was astounding.

Naturally, he acted like he was above a position of minimum wage and that working amongst other people was beneath him because he was a prince from another realm you had only heard of through myths.

You had reasoned with him that it was only fair that he contributed towards the household if he was living there, to which he did reluctantly agree and saw your point when you mentioned about it being a valuable part of his lesson which, in theory, could help get him home faster.

What you hadn’t expected, was to return home from a long day at work to see him smirking in triumph and proceeding to announce that he had found a job and flew through the interview with flying colours.

“You seriously have a job now?” You asked incredulously, your mouth agape.

“I have, I start on Monday,” he chuckled.

“Seriously? What as?”

You couldn’t believe it, who in their right mind would hire a man like Loki?

“A telemarketer,” Loki answered with a shrug.

“What?” You raised your eyebrow in bemusement, that was the last thing you had expected to hear from him.

“Of course,” he smiled, “I use my charm and lie to people to get them to buy useless products for extortionate amount of money, it’s right up my alley and apparently the manager thought so too.”

“That the shadiest way I have ever heard anyone describe telemarketing.”

“It’s right up my alley.”

“Only if you can convince other people that you’re charming.”

Loki rolled his eyes but held his smug look of self-gratification.

“Say what you want, but I am on my way to paying for my own luxuries.”

“Wonderful, but you have to remember that wine and lobster comes after rent and utilities.”

“And how much do you expect from me for that?”

You pursed your lips a little as you thought, drawing out the time by taking a sip of the hot drink you had made after coming back from work.

Truthfully, with the knowledge you had about the money that was due to come in, you felt bad about even thinking of taking money from Loki, but you also understood that it would be a valuable lesson to him that could help him in the long run.

You hadn’t told Loki about the pay packet that was coming in through S.H.I.E.L.D, worried that him knowing would cause him to stay exactly the same without even attempting to right himself and learn what needed to be done to get him back home with all his powers restored.

Loki watched you as you thought, waiting for your reply.

Eventually you shrugged, took another sip of your drink then set the mug down.

“I’ll tell you what, the first month you won’t pay anything as that’s typically shorter than your average wage slip, then the month after we’ll figure out the dates you get paid, your average monthly income and take it from there, deal?”

“You would know more about this than I would, so I suppose I have no choice but to trust you to be fair with it.”

“I’m honoured you’d even go that far.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

You rolled your eyes and finished your drink, setting the mug into the water bowl ready to be washed up.

“Whatever, Loki,” you looked at him pointedly, arms folded as you felt strangely satisfied and having at least some kind of command over him, “just don’t mess this up, okay?”


	15. Chapter Fifteen

The week continued to crawl by and you put this down to your anxiousness over Loki’s new job.

Witnessing his nature first hand didn’t give you the biggest hope that he would keep his job, in fact you were more than certain that he would somehow upset his boss within the first few hours and he would storm into the house with a face like thunder and jobless once again.

Loki, on the other hand, seemed as calm as calm could be.

He spent his remaining days practically ignoring you, not that you were complaining, in favour of reading.

He’d still join you for food but it was only then, and when he had something else to complain about, that you saw him.

You didn’t understand how he could be so calm, especially when you remembered the first day of your job and how nervous you had been about everything from working with new people to the systems you’d have to get used to.

Although you did well, as well as any newbie could, there was still that underlying worry about where you would go wrong next.

Loki didn’t seem to care and appeared to prefer spending his time reading or insulting your food choices which would never be up to the standard of a Prince, you understood that, but that didn’t make his constant sniping at the cheaper products any less irritating.

It took a lot of energy to ignore Loki, especially considering he was like a child and didn’t like to be ignored unless he specifically didn’t want you paying attention to him.

You hoped that this job of his would help him learn the needed values so that he could be out of your life that bit quicker.

If he wasn’t so stubborn, he could have been gone by now, but instead you were stuck with him once again whining that your bathroom was too small.

“Well if you weren’t a giant of a man, it wouldn’t be an issue, would it?” You’d snapped back, glaring towards the man who stood in the living room doorway, drying his hair with a ‘scratchy’ towel.

“Perhaps if you didn’t choose to live in the slum then you’d have more space to offer.”

“Trust me when I say this isn’t the slum area of this town, but you’re welcome to go and find it, maybe go and live there for a bit and get out of my life.”

“Why would I give you that satisfaction?”

It was moments like that which made you thankful to get away when you had a shift.

Though, like most people, you didn’t enjoy going to work, it was perfectly fine once you got there and jumped into the swing of things and there was an undeniable feeling of satisfaction to know that you were earning your own money.

This was something that you hoped the stuck up, spoiled and catered on Prince would learn by the time he got his first pay cheque.

By the time Monday rolled around, you were glad to finally have the place to yourself for longer than an hour-long period Loki would sometimes disappear for when he went for a walk.

Unfortunately, unlike the week before, the day skipped by and before you knew it, it had grown dark outside and Loki was throwing the door open, stepping inside with a frustrated sigh.

And thus, your quiet day of relaxation before your partial shift on Tuesday was over.

Despite his obvious irritated state, you decided to try and keep things calm and collected, hoping that it would help settle him down faster.

“Hey Loki,” you called out, placing a bookmark between the pages you were reading, “how was your first day?”

“Abysmal,” he practically growled, throwing his coat onto the arm of the couch you were sat on.

You had to admit that you always liked that coat, it looked thick and warm and the green trimming that was laced into the black looked elegant, you had to give him credit and admit that Loki’s sense of fashion was great and he knew how to compliment his features well.

“Yeah, that’s telemarketing for you, most people hang up before you’ve even said hello.”

“No, that’s not it,” he waved his hand dismissively before, rather uncharacteristically, flopping inelegantly into the chair to your left, “I was more than content when I was at my own cubicle, it was the training and people that got to me.”

“Oh? So you enjoyed the calling part?”

“The few that I managed to do?” He asked in reply, looking at you as a smirk grew on his lips, “loved it, you Midgardians are so easy to manipulate.”

“Wait, you got sales on your first day?”

“Only two, from some very willing ladies,” Loki chuckled, getting up from his seat once again, “but yes.”

“I’m impressed, congratulations.”

“Thank you, to think I didn’t even have to use my magic.”

“Because you can’t,” you rolled your eyes in good nature, opening your book again.

Loki shot you a stern glance then walked into the kitchen.

You watched him retreat with a warm smile, genuinely happy that he was enjoying at least one part of his new job already.

In all honesty, you thought that this job would be great for him and if he had already managed two sales in his first day then you were more than confident that he would learn the amazing feeling that came with earning that little bit extra, though his would be through bonuses and most likely commissions unlike you who earned it through scraping for any overtime hours you could get.

This definitely felt like a step in the right direction, anything was better than him wasting away in his bedroom, reading.

“I see you went shopping today,” he called from the kitchen, the reverberation in his voice making it obvious that he was in one of the cupboards.

“I did,” you yelled back, plucking your bookmark out.

“And you still got the cheap tea?”

You sighed and closed your eyes, hoping that he’d learn to appreciate the cheaper things in life or to at least whine mentally, like you had grown accustomed to.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Loki adapted surprisingly well to his new job.

Sure, he’d come home grumbling about people, but he also wasted no time in gloating about his sales and the compliments he’d already received from his co-workers.

To be blunt, it kind of ticked you off.

You had worked so hard in that little bookshop over the years, picking up the extra hours that you could and making sure that jobs were done to the best of your abilities, as far as you knew you’d never received any complaints and everyone loved working with you and yet, nothing had ever come from it.

Then Loki comes along, acting like a petulant ass with no work ethic to speak of after being spoiled his entire life and everything goes just swimmingly for him.

Worst of all, he was still a total dick at home, complaining at every turn about anything he could think of and making plans to ‘sort things out’ with his first payment, which you guessed meant getting him some ‘real tea’.

It wasn’t fair, Loki seemed to be having the time of his life while you were suffering with his constant awful attitude at home and all this after having to deal with lousy attituded customers at work.

You rubbed your temples and closed your eyes, letting out a long breath whilst trying to stem the headache that was slowly building behind your eyes.

Taking advantage of the silence you had, you led down on your couch and pulled the blanket you kept thrown across the back of the cushions over you, curling up and closing your eyes to try and ease the ache.

For the first time in a while the house was dark and silent, it was a rare opportunity to imagine that Loki didn’t exist and yet at the same time you felt his absence stronger than ever.

It was sad that you had grown accustomed to hearing him berate your life choices and complaining about having to live the Midgardian life without the spoils of royalty, but now that he spent more time at the office it was unusually quiet until late into the evening.

However, if this was how it was going to be from now on then it was easy money on your end.

Typically, you found that it was during downtimes like this that the pros of living with Loki started to seep into your thoughts, at first you tried pushing them to one side but eventually you figured out that those attempts were pointless, it was happening one way or another.

Sure, he was a total pain in the ass attitude wise, but at least he was tidy and rarely left a mess and he’d catch spiders for you so they could be released outside, also having a man of his stature about the house made reaching high places easier, even if he liked to put your favourite snacks on the highest possible shelf to be sure you struggled to reach them.

The man was an annoyance, but when you stopped and thought over his actions, you started to wonder if maybe he annoyed you out of pure jest and not because he was a malicious asshole.

Yes, his complaining was definitely just an irritation, but what if his constant mocking and actions were more just cordial jokes that you were taking the wrong way?

Maybe this was his way of befriending people.

Or maybe you were trying to see the best in him because your stomach would flip when you looked at him.

You had noticed it for the first time the first week into the second month of your little self-proclaimed ‘mission’.

There was no denying that he was a handsome man, even when he was being a total dick, but one moment caught you off guard and made all your emotions towards him blend into one huge mass of confusion and headaches.

You had been feeling under the weather for a few days.

Your nose was stuffy and your throat was sore, you weren’t entirely sure what your stomach was trying to do to itself but it seemed to alternate between sore, nauseous and fine.

The joy of working with the public was getting sick more often than normal.

Work was getting on top of you, customers had seemed extra rude over the passing days and everything that could break had decided to use a short pay month to break, thankfully it hadn’t been your phone or computer, only the oven and washing machine.

Only.

And you were still waiting on the cheque from S.H.I.E.L.D to come through, which was due to arrive anytime soon now that the first month was over.

By the time you’d gotten home you were not only too tired to put up with anything in general, but you were also too hungry after having to skip most of your lunch due to queues building and your breaks being constantly broken so that you could serve.

The day had been horrific and you looked forward to the sweet release from hunger, only to remember after letting some frozen chicken thaw out that you had no way to cook it without a serious threat to your health.

To be blunt, you wanted to cry.

In the end you decided to simply lie down, close your eyes and let the world sink away as you took a nap, this was where Loki had found you after coming home from the third shift at his new job.

Unbeknownst to you, Loki’s face had softened upon seeing you in such a state.

He had walked in prepared to tease you about something, wanting to watch you get riled up and gauge how far he could push you by your reaction, but seeing you in a bad was made his brain falter for a passing second and he found himself worrying ever so slightly.

Not that he would admit it.

When he’d walked in, he had every intention of teasing you for being lazy and not even bothering to turn the lights on, especially when you were clearly home as the front door was unlocked.

But seeing you curled up, sleeping fretfully on the couch, made him a little concerned for your wellbeing.

Loki knew that you hadn’t been well over the past few days, but it hadn’t stopped him acting up like his indignant self, now he just felt bad and wasn’t prepared to wake you from the sleep you clearly needed.

He’d been amazingly silent and you didn’t wake up until two hours later, which was when you were greeted by Loki setting down containers of freshly delivered food on the coffee table.

His eyes flickered towards you and his typical smirk was aimed at you.

“You were asleep, so I used your card to order us some food as the oven clearly isn’t going to fix itself anytime soon.”

There was a glint of mischief in his eyes, as always, and something about the light tone in his voice made your stomach flip uncomfortably.

At the time you had put it down simply to hunger, that was what you attempted to convince yourself of multiple times.

Yet it always failed.

Over time you came to realize that it was the sentiment behind his actions that had gotten to you, the fact that he hadn’t disturbed you, hadn’t complained at all since you woke up and had ordered you food when you weren’t feeling well, even if he used your money, not that he had any of his own just yet to use.

It took a while for you to accept the facts for what they were.

It wasn’t that you were in love, it had only just been a month of living together and most of the time he spent annoying you, but you were most definitely attracted to the God living under your roof.

And you knew that, even if his attitude continued to be an annoyance, your feelings were going to only get worse from there.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick filler chapter to tide over the holiday. Hope you all have a wonderful one, however you spend the day!

You and Loki had started to live almost separately, you would barely see each other unless you both happened to have a day off and even those days were spent doing different things within your own company.

It was amazing to see the shift in Loki, he appeared to have calmed down and the teasing was getting lighter until you could both sit in a room comfortably together, doing your own things without him throwing you a shady look or having to give a snide remark.

It was nice and peaceful.

By the time that you had gotten a lump sum of the money you had signed the contract for, Christmas was around the corner and Loki was starting to get bemused about the situation and the sudden shift in the air.

There was something horribly endearing about Loki’s curiosity and at times you’d find yourself refraining from ‘aww’ing at his confused but fascinated expressions.

You took it upon yourself to teach him about the various celebrations of the seasons that you could in between shifts, though this mostly consisted of you both lounging in your seats as you lazily read out Google definitions.

During more calm moments of rest after long hours at work, you simply both sat down so that you could show him the wonderful majesty that was a traditional Christmas film, not something you delved into too often but everyone had at least one they favoured.

Tonight was a classic that thankfully wasn’t a soppy Hallmark film of overly saturated colours, irritatingly happy people and ridiculous plot misunderstandings that wouldn’t happen if people simply talked to one another.

“The Muppet’s Christmas Carol?” He asked, glancing at you as the title screen came up, “what exactly is a Muppet?”

“Something I have to look at every day,” you mumbled back, giving him a sarcastic smile.

“Is that supposed to be an insult?”

“Typically yes, but as you don’t understand it we’ll let it slide, yes?”

“That works for me, I suppose.”

You both watched the film in relative silence after that, occasionally there would be a comment here or there, but mostly it was humoured laughs or just a comfortable quiet.

Every now and then you’d spare a glance at Loki, seeing him smile in a way that made your stomach flutter uncomfortably.

You still weren’t going to fully admit that you liked him like ‘that’, but there was no denying it internally.

After the film, you stretched out on your couch and let out a small groan as Loki watched the names rolling through the credits.

“So that is what Christmas is about?”

“In a way,” you laughed, tilting your head to look at him, “but there is much more to it.”

“I see,” he nodded, suddenly looking thoughtful. “Do work Christmas parties go like that? People sitting around a table, laughing and eating together?”

“For some yes,” you sat up once you’d had a satisfying stretch and turned to face him better, pulling your feet up onto the cushion so that you could protect them from the cold with your blanket. “Some go for meals, some have in-office parties, some just get a small bit extra in their pay, it varies.”

“Thank you for explaining.”

“It’s not a problem, but why do you ask?”

Loki looked at you and gave a light shrug.

“I suppose it’s no surprise, but my work is having an office party and I didn’t quite know what to expect.”

“Oh,” you hummed, chewing on your lip a little, “that does remind me actually, do you want to come to mine?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, my work place is going to the ramen place in town and we can bring a guest, so I was wondering if you’d like to come along.”

Loki regarded you for a silent moment then nodded slowly, eventually a genuine smile crossed his lips and you found your stomach fluttering once again.

That handsome smile, one of true sincerity and not full of mischief that brought up a hint of worry, was aimed at you.

“I would love to,” he replied.

“That’s great, I’ll add your name to the guest list,” you grinned, hoping that he couldn’t see the redness that was starting to flare up in your cheeks from the look he was giving you.

Not that it was anything even hinting towards romantic or mutual attraction, it was just friendly and pleasant, unlike him.

“Then I also suppose it’s only fair that I invite you to my office party,” he continued, “I’m sure the others would love to meet you.”


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Your work Christmas meal was one of the best that you had had in your time working there.

The group was smaller than previous years, which was no surprise with there not being enough budget to hire replacements when someone left, not even Christmas temps, and over the years you’d watched as ten co-workers dwindled to five.

While this meant more pressure on everyone over the Christmas period, it also meant that you got overtime hours, which would be appreciated in the January pay packet, and that the table could be smaller and more compact, leaving space for more conversation thanks to the table not being split into specific, spaced out groups.

It wasn’t a surprise that Loki got along with everyone and they all seemed to take to him,

He may have been insufferable, but he had a charm to him that was difficult to resist.

The evening passed quickly with an air of mirth and laughter, Loki entertaining your second family with his own life stories, at least the ones he could get away with telling, and his attempts at eating with chopsticks.

When you got home that night, Loki had been insisting that it was all an act and that, if he had his magic especially, he would have been able to use the chopsticks perfectly fine.

You weren’t entirely sure how that logic worked out, but you simply laughed and let it slide.

As you had work the next day and you’d arrived home at just past ten, you decided to make some hot chocolate and stick on a film for you both to watch until it was time for bed.

The following week, which was full to brim of rushing about both at home and at work, you left work and immediately walked the five minutes to the coffee shop in the town center where you were to meet Loki, from there you would walk to his office building and let his company party commence.

The walk was pleasant, you both made small talk about your days as you attempted to shield yourself from the harsh cold wind that battered against you.

Loki seemed unaffected and carried on as if it were nothing, something you may have been a tiny bit envious of.

You were instantly thankful at the waft of warmth when you entered his building and made your way up to the floor where the party was being held.

It was a surprisingly sterile place, made up of grey cubicles and pale blue walls, the kind of place that is usually used in films to mock the mundanity of office work life, where all the employees looked dead inside as they made their way to the designated work space to answer or make calls to clueless people who did nothing but yell abuse.

Yet the place had been decked out with Christmas decorations, including a large, over decorated tree in one corner, and long tables of food and drink lined the walls.

Many people were already there, having stayed after their shift rather than going home according to Loki, and they looked livelier than some of the people you had served during your own work hours.

Music was playing, as you’d stepped in it had switched from an upbeat pop song that would get stuck in your head to a traditional Christmas song and that would remain to be the pattern throughout the night, a nice mixture of Christmas and other genre variety.

The people were all smiles and cheer, most of them wearing corny Christmas jumpers that gave others a laugh.

Much like your co-workers were with Loki, they were all very welcoming and you immediately took to them, getting more comfortable with talking to these strangers and being greeted as more filed in and added to the group, which was already significantly larger than your own workplace’s employee count.

You met so many people over the night that it was almost unnerving and yet somehow, it never felt overbearing like it would be at other occasions.

Sometime during the night you and Loki ended up separating and mingling with a variety of people, in the end you lost track of how many conversations you’d had with which people and as the night drew on, the alcohol started kicking in and many others were beginning to get too drunk to hold a cohesive conversation longer than a few sentences.

You hoped that most of the ones getting too bad didn’t have work the next day.

A few hours in and you found yourself lingering about, unsure of what to do with yourself and feeling a little bored but finding it rude to skip out early.

It wasn’t unusual for you to get fed up with simply lingering, when your friends would want to meet up for a drink you would agree out of politeness and the fun of being in their company, but there was only so long that you could sit around talking before it grew tiresome.

Even at your own work meal you had all started to roll out by the three hour mark.

At least it was easier to excuse yourself with your own friends, but now you were surrounded by people you’d only known for two or three hours and you weren’t entirely sure what to do.

So, you settled on finding Loki and letting him know that you were going to head home.

It took you a little while to find him amongst the string of people, some singing loudly and merrily along to the music, some simply stumbling into your path with no regard for you, which was also a common occurrence at work.

Eventually, you managed to spot him looming over the crowd down a corridor leading to more offices, though these ones were probably for the higher ups as they had doors for more privacy.

As you neared, you heard him laughing and noticed his wide smile as he looked down at whoever was talking to him.

The person blocking your view moved and you could see that he was talking to a woman, who was laughing loudly with him, a hand resting on top of his bicep.

She was pretty, not a stunner but enough to catch a few glances, her pixie-cut hair was a strange colour that wasn’t quite blonde but also wasn’t brown and you couldn’t tell if it was natural or dyed.

She seemed to be around the same height as you, though you suspected the large black boots she was wearing added a little boost to it and she wore an outfit that you could only describe as stereotypical punk and boy, did she wear it well.

There was a strange pang in your chest as you watched them.

The way they seemed to eye each other, almost as if there was no one else around them and shared inside jokes meant only for those two.

You had never seen Loki look at anything like that, aside from the one time you’d bought some jam tarts fresh from the bakery, and for the briefest of moments you hated this woman you had never met.

Your chest tightened more when Loki smiled at her then took a sip from his cup as his eyes flickered to you, making eye contact.

Somehow, you managed to give him a smile and walked closer, also catching the attention of punk chick, who gave you a once over then nodded in greeting.

“Hey, Loki,” you started, trying to keep your voice steady, which was proving to be more difficult than you had anticipated, “I’m ready to skip off.”

“Already?” He asked, tapping the side of his cup.

“Yeah, it’s been a long day, I’m tired.”

“I get it, I’ll see you at home.”

“Of course and I’ll leave you to talk to…”

You trailed off and looked at the woman beside you, giving a silent indication that she could introduce herself.

“Rachel,” she accepted with a smile.

“Rachel,” you repeated, looking back at Loki, “so I’ll see you at home?”

“Yes, I’ll try not to be too late.”

“It’s fine, as long as you’re not noisy then it’s not a big deal, right?”

“I suppose not, I’ll see you later then.”

You nodded and stewed in the awkward moment a little longer to bid them both goodbye.

Not that you had expected him to, but you were needlessly upset that Loki hadn’t protested your early leave or offered to come along with you.

You knew that it was a selfish thought, but you wanted him to go with you, to get away from Rachel who seemed just as interested in him as he did with her from what you could tell.

“Girlfriend?” You heard Rachel ask as you started to walk away.

“No,” Loki replied with a shrug, “just a housemate.”


	19. Chapter Nineteen

The night of the party, Loki didn’t get back home until late and you were already in bed to rest for the busy work day ahead of you.

Saturdays were typically rather hectic in the lead up to Christmas.

Of course, during the rest of the year people expected retail workers to somehow work miracles and magically pull out something that wasn’t in stock out of their magic back pocket of everything.

Christmas, however, made things like that a thousand times worse and a lot more headache inducing.

Typically, you would look forward to going home and resting, sitting in a darkened room either watching TV, surfing the internet or reading by the tall lamp that you had sitting beside your couch.

That Saturday, you were dreading going home and having to face Loki.

It was ridiculous that you were anxious about going to your own comfort zone, but confronting these bubbling emotions filled you with dread and confusion.

You were upset, you were pissed and you were confused, all of which you didn’t know how to convey to Loki who rightfully didn’t really do anything wrong or intentionally malicious.

It wasn’t as if he knew of your affections towards him and he couldn’t control if his feelings went towards another, but a spark of jealousy flared in you at the thought of them together and a pang of hurt jolted your heart when you thought of his flippant response.

Despite your best efforts, you couldn’t stop your mind from concluding the worst scenario for your emotional state about why he had returned home late.

Yes, of course you knew rationally it’s just that some office parties will run into the early morning, especially if they didn’t have work the next day due to it being a weekend, which was how the company Loki worked for ran, but you couldn’t stop yourself from imagining that it was a more lurid reason.

One that you didn’t want to imagine, but couldn’t stop yourself from thinking about.

That is until you threw yourself into work.

Using the day’s work load as a deterrent for the mind was the perfect way to distract yourself from the thoughts, serving customers as best as you could, getting them in and out quickly with a friendly smile and helping them hunt down elusive books took your mind off everything.

You had a laugh with co-workers and genuinely enjoyed your day, until it was time to go home.

On the way home, you stalled yourself as much as you could by visiting the large supermarket that was on your journey home, one that you frequently would venture in to, sometimes to browse and other times to use as a shortcut through the building to save yourself the time of going around it.

Those precious two minutes could be used elsewhere.

As you wandered up and down the aisles, piling random things into the basket in your hand, you started to reason with yourself about why you were being ridiculous.

For starters, Loki may not even be at home, he could be out with Rachel for all you knew.

That thought instantly ruined your mood, so you turned your attention to music in the hopes of it being an ample distraction.

By the time you had finished picking out bits and pieces of fill your cupboards and your added comfort treats, barely an hour had passed and you had to accept the fact that you couldn’t linger any longer.

You faced the fact that you had to go home and possibly sit in the same house as the man who had unknowingly upset you.

As you walked out of the shop, your messenger bag heavy with product with another bags handles digging into the skin of your hand, you turned left to head home only to have your step falter.

You turned towards the right, remembering that on the opposite side of your usual path was an ATM, the perfect opportunity to stall for a few more minutes as you waited in the short line and checked the damage in your bank account.

As you stood in line, you tried to mentally calculate how much you believed should be in there after your little shopping session, never a pleasant number but one you liked to be sure of all the same.

Stepped up to the front, you did the usual routine of popping the card in, putting in your pin, pressing the option you needed and waiting with baited breath to see just how wrongly you had calculated your guess.

The system seemed to take a little longer than usual and you were beginning to panic that it had malfunctioned and eaten your card, as another machine had almost done a few years prior after work, when the bank was closed and you wouldn’t have known how to get it back had it not finally spit it back out after five agonizing minutes.

Much like that situation, the machine just appeared to be taking its time, unlike that situation it didn’t spit your card out and stop working altogether.

This time, it flashed up with the amount in your account and options for you to progress with.

An amount that made you gawp.

Without knowing, you must have been paid a clumped amount of what that weird agency owed you, as you were more than the richest that you had ever been in your life.

As you gaped, open mouthed at the large number and waited for the receipt to print with your new, significantly richer bank balance, you remembered why Loki was even living with you in the first place.

You had agreed to this for money, not to get caught up in emotions.


	20. Chapter Twenty

You were bouncing on cloud nine when you got home that evening, your worries about facing Loki and your emotional downer was temporarily alleviated by the elation of seeing so much money at one time in your bank account.

Much to the confliction of your mood shifting between emotions once again, the house was dark and quiet when you stepped inside, meaning that Loki was either napping or out.

A quick check of his room proved your initial belief, that he had gone out for the evening and you more than believed that he was out with Rachel, an image you didn’t want to immediately spring to but couldn’t help jumping to.

So, you decided on a quiet evening for yourself.

Using the newly acquired money that you had, you decided to treat yourself to a rare bit of take-away that you typically couldn’t afford on your usual monthly pay.

As you waited for the food to arrive, you went through all your direct debits and paid off each one, starting from the highest to the lowest, each confirmation of payment feeling like an even bigger weight off your shoulders.

You’d always had a plan for this kind of situation, when you came into a lot of money, even though in the past it was pure fantasy and you never believed that it would actually happen.

Now that it had, your plans had all but been forgotten, completely slipped your mind and you couldn’t remember them for love nor money, it seemed the shock of having even a small sum of what you had signed for had shut off your brain.

All that took over was the elation of knowing that every month your wages would stretch that much further with no debts eating away at your hard-earned cash, a feeling that was unlike anything you could explain.

Barely forty minutes after ordering, your food arrived and it was time to settle down with some terrible movie, some food, a satiating drink and a warm blanket to stem away the cold winter nights.

The perfect start to an evening before a day off.

You’d lost track of how much you had watched, but you estimated to be two and a half movies in before the door opened and Loki stepped inside, locking it behind him.

You paused what you were watching as Loki walked into the room, his face giving away that he was exhausted but thankfully not in a bad mood.

“Eating without me?” He commented, noting the fast food cartons on the table.

“You weren’t here and I didn’t know where you were or how long you’d be,” you shrugged, “and I was hungry.”

He nodded and dropped into his usual armchair, working on unbuckling his boots to kick them off.

“Did you have fun?”

Loki shrugged a little and threw his boots to one side before having the audacity to grab one of the cartons, you were beginning to get too full to eat it anyway but you would have liked if he had at least asked.

“I suppose, though it seems clubs aren’t a thing I would particularly choose to go to in my spare time.”

“Then why did you?”

“Rachel wanted to show me a rock club she is strangely infatuated with,” he glanced at you before scooping some of the food into his mouth.

You nodded slowly, taking a bite of your own to try and stop your face from contorting at the confirmation of your theory.

“She’s the girl you were talking to at the party, correct?” You weren’t sure if your feigned disinterest was going to work and you didn’t truly want to continue the conversation, but that horrible curious part in the back of your brain needed to know what you feared for certain.

“Yes, that would her.”

“Ah, you seem pretty close then.”

“She helps make the work day go by faster.”

“Do you like her?”

Loki gave you a look, one that made it seem like the most obvious answer in the world.

“She’s more tolerable than some, so I guess I would say that I like her.”

“No,” you forced a laugh, giving him an equally as forced smile, “I mean romantically? Is there a little office love brewing.”

Even though you were attempting to be teasing, the way your hands went cold and your stomach felt hollow didn’t make the front an easy one to keep up.

His expression shifted of one of condescension to one of utter bemusement.

“Since when did you care about my romantic conquests?”

“I don’t particularly, I was just asking.”

“Well don’t,” he snapped, standing up from his chair, “I’m going to read and then I’m going to bed, try to put these ridiculous questions behind you in the morning.”

His reaction was startling, to say the least, and you watched his retreating back with widened eyes, unsure of how to take his reaction.

Was it defensive?

Did ‘romantic conquest’ mean that he had slept with her?

Or was he simply tired or felt you weren’t yet close enough to divulge personal information with?

The more you dwelled, the further you sank into your own pit of self-destructive thinking and no amount of take-away eating or TV watching was going to distract you from it.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

That night your thoughts kept you awake, the fretting and worrying over upsetting Loki taking over any need to sleep despite your best efforts.

By the time the sun was rising and light was starting to pass through your curtains, you decided that even trying to sleep anymore was pointless and got up to start your day.

Throwing aside the covers, you got up to have a shower, brush your teeth, get dressed and head to the kitchen to make yourself some breakfast.

It seemed that your usual routine worked in keeping your mind clearer than before, as you found yourself more focused on the tasks than on your worries about Loki and a couple more hours passed before you heard the distinct opening of his door and footsteps heading down the hall to the kitchen.

After a few minutes of faint noises of tea making he soon joined you in the living room, where you were sat with your second warm drink of the day.

The air shifted as he walked in, his expression unreadable when he sat down in his chair and stared so intently at the cup that you were surprised it didn’t crack and spill his tea everywhere.

You didn’t know what to say, so you tried to keep your attention focused on the magazine you were flicking through, one that came monthly to your workplace that listed the up and comers and what you’d be able to ask for as a proof copy.

Nothing particularly inspiring jumped out, but you pretended to pay extra close attention in hopes of biding your time until one of you left.

“Listen.”

Loki’s voice caused you to start a little, the paper in your hands crumpling as your fingers instinctively tensed.

Looking at the clock, you noticed that eight minutes had passed since he’d come into the room.

“I feel that I should maybe,” he paused for a moment to, what you guessed, consider his words before letting out a withered sigh, “apologise, I suppose.”

“You suppose?” You asked, quirking an eyebrow a little.

“Yes, about last night, I shouldn’t have reacted how I did.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” you nodded slowly, feeling the placating side of you bubbling up despite your night of mental anguish, “but I’m sure you had your reasons.”

“I guess I did,” he rubbed at his forehead and closed his eyes, “I’m just confused right now.”

“Confused? About what?”

“Everything.”

You were astounded to see Loki opening up, especially after last night.

To see him being vulnerable when previously he had been nothing but a demanding, indignant asshole was astounding and truthfully pulled a little on your heartstrings.

“You can tell me about it if you wish.”

“I don’t even know where I’d begin, that being Midgardian is coming too easily to me? How I’m enjoying work that is beneath me? That I miss my God enhancements? How I’ve fallen for a human during something that can only be considered a holiday in my years.”

You tried to ignore the painful tug at your heart at the mention of his falling for someone, even if pushing through proved difficult.

“Maybe it comes easy to you because you’re used to blending in? One of your abilities was shapeshifting, correct?”

“Yes, I suppose you have a point.”

“And you’re allowed to enjoy your job, Loki, you’re good at it.”

“As I should be, they can’t take away my ability to lie, that is simply who I am, not an enhancement.”

“Which you will also get when you go home, which may or may not be much longer, I think you’ve progressed well.”

“Truly?”

“Yeah,” you nodded with the best reassuring smile you could muster. “Sure, you can still be a pain in the ass, petulant and higher-than-thou, but you at least contribute to the household, know basic budgeting and understand that not everyone should be looked down on, that’s progression.”

“I guess it is.”

“You’re earning your own way, pathing a path that wasn’t there before by your own intuition and knowledge, that is your lesson, isn’t it?”

“Humility and understanding of lesser beings, yes.”

“And you’re getting there.”

He nodded, letting out a small agreeing hum before raising his cup to his lips and taking a long sip.

Silence fell once again as he returned to his staring, though this time it didn’t last eight minutes, only two.

“And what of my falling for a Midgardian? Isn’t that shameful for someone of my status?”

“Not really,” you shrugged, trying to keep any emotion from your voice that would give away how you truly felt, “you can’t help who you fall for, as long as it’s legal then you can only go for it, right? See if they like you back.”

“You’re suggesting I ask her out on a date?”

“If you feel comfortable with that, then yeah, I guess I am.”

“I believe that I’d be comfortable with it.”

“Then stop whining and go for it, stop doubting yourself, you’re the damn God of Mischief, use it to your advantage.”

Loki chuckled and smirked at you for the first time in a while, his eyes twinkling with that old spark you’d come to adore.

“I shall, thank you.”


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

It was a pleasant surprise when that afternoon Loki knocked on your bedroom door and invited you out for a while, distracting you from the book that you were flying through.

“Don’t think anything of it,” he said with a shrug, “I just thought that I should make amends for how I’ve acted in the past.”

“I wasn’t going to assume anything else.”

“I was just making sure, considering our conversation earlier.”

You rolled your eyes and set the bookmark between the pages before closing the book and sitting up straighter on the bed, setting the book down beside your hip.

“I’m not big headed or deluded enough to think that I’m the one you like, Loki.”

“Good,” he gave a sharp nod then backed out of the doorway, “you have fifteen minutes.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” you saluted at the door just as it clicked shut.

And straight away he was back to making demands.

It was good to know that some things never changed.

It turned out that Loki’s idea of making amends was a stroll through the cold town as it got dark, just as the Christmas lights came on.

Admittedly, it was very pretty and calming with a pleasant atmosphere.

For the first time in what felt like a century the tension between you both dissipated and you could laugh and joke about, eventually Loki started telling you about his time on Asgard and his many years of adventures with Thor.

At one point, you both sat down to enjoy a warm snack he’d dipped into a nearby shop to buy and enjoyed the Christmasey atmosphere that was around you.

You tried to keep the though from springing to the front of your mind, but there was a little niggle in the back of your head that was pointing out just how much this felt like a date.

There were attempts at distraction as you brought up a few subjects to talk about, the last one being the choice of light decorations that year, but that feeling wouldn’t go away.

“Speaking of Christmas,” you started, dabbing at your mouth with a napkin, “what do you want?”

“Me? I don’t really want anything,”

“Oh come on, everyone wants something and I can’t leave you with nothing to open.”

“Really, I don’t want anything,” Loki shrugged, “besides, I may not even be around to celebrate your Christmas.”

Your heart uncomfortably skipped a beat and your blood ran cold, but you managed to mask it and looked at him with both surprise and curiosity.

“You won’t?”

“No, Rachel has invited me over.”

“Ah,” you nodded, “that was real nice of her.”

“It was,” he hesitated for a moment and fiddled with his half eaten food, “it may also be a permanent thing.”

“What?”

Your eyebrow rose as Loki looked at you, his expression unreadable.

“It’s nothing personal, I’m just unsure of how long I’m going to be here and I feel as if I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Only because you’re getting paid for it.”

There was something to that point that stung.

Did he really think you were only keeping him around for the payment?

Sure, that may have been true in the beginning but things had changed.

Loki had changed.

In the beginning he had been an insufferable, spoilt ass who barely knew how to take his own cup to the sink, but now he was not only doing basic household chores but he would willingly offer and didn’t complain if you asked him to do something.

“Loki.”

“It’s fine, I get it, who wants to deal with a stuck-up, once a demi-god and now a powerless prince? I wouldn’t have put up with me, but I also don’t understand why I haven’t been sent back and it’s making me unpleasant to be around.”

“Then why move? I’m used to it.”

“To save you some stress.”

“Save me some stress?!”

Loki flinched back a little at the sharpness of your tone, his eyebrows raising before his face contorted into confusion.

“Yes, I thought th-”

“I doubt you thought anything! Did you even bother to ask if I minded before going? When was this arranged?”

“She asked if I wanted to a few days ago.”

“A few days?!”

“Yes, why are you getting so mad? I don’t need your permission to live my own pathetic, Midgardian life.”

Now Loki’s tone was beginning to catch an edge, his eyes narrowing a little.

“Because,” you floundered under his gaze, stuttering as you attempted to think of a viable excuse. “Because this was an agreement that I officially had with S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“And I’ll speak with the Director and make sure he still pays you.”

“That isn’t the point!”

“Then what is?!”

You stared at Loki as he glared back, both of you taken aback by the situation that was unfolding in front of you but also too far gone for either of you to stop it.

As you watched each other, unblinking, your stomach dropped as you saw something you hoped you were wrong about flash in Loki’s eyes.

Even in the darkness it was noticeable and you hoped that he would drop it.

“I know what the point is,” he said slowly, his voice much calmer.

Of course he wouldn’t drop it.

Your stomach lurched and you lost your appetite.

You found that you couldn’t look at him any further and turned your head away from him, balling your hands into fists in your lap.

“This is about Rachel, isn’t it?”

You didn’t say anything, merely focused on keeping your breathing even as your throat constricted and tears stung your eyes.

“I knew it,” he said, “I knew all this time that you didn’t like her.”

“I never said that.”

“You don’t have to, you made it evident from the moment you saw us talking at the party.”

You licked your bottom lip and wordlessly shook your head, trying to deny everything physically as your mind screamed at you to just say the truth.

Loki let out a laugh, a huffed laugh that sounded as bitter as it felt to hear.

“Why? What has she ever done? Get close to me?”

You still didn’t look at him, but you knew that he was staring.

“Of course, because you want me all to yourself, despite the fact that you didn’t even want me around to begin with, at least she didn’t have to be paid to be my friend.”

He stood from his seat, leaving everything on the table as he turned from you and adjusted his coat.

“Loki,” you tried to say, though it came out closer to a broken whisper.

“Don’t bother, I knew this would be a mistake after last night.”

Loki didn’t look at you, not even a glance over his shoulder as he slid his hands into his pockets and walked away.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

“And that’s what happened,” Loki sighed, his fingers drumming irritably on the arm of the chair.

After the little rift in the park, he hadn’t been entirely sure where to go.

Home didn’t seem like a good idea, as the tension when you were both in the same room would undoubtedly lead to screaming and things being broken, but he also wasn’t in the mood to hang around anywhere local.

Bars didn’t exactly appeal to him, he may have been human, but he wasn’t lowering himself to drinking in a bar because of a minor disagreement.

So, he found himself on Rachel’s doorstep.

“Oh, honey,” Rachel sighed, frowning in understanding, “I’m sure it’ll blow over.”

“Maybe, who truly knows? They’re so complicated.”

Rachel took a sip of her coffee, tucking her feet further under the black fluffy blanket she had draped over her legs.

For a moment, she regarded Loki and silently lowered her cup to rest on her leg, her painted fingernails drumming against the side of the ceramic and making it tinkle lightly.

“I think I know what it is.”

Loki looked at her, eyebrow quirked curiously, wordlessly prompting her to continue.

“Your lovely little roommate wants you all to themselves.”

“I doubt that,” Loki rolled his eyes, “if anything, I was always a little unwelcome.”

“In the beginning maybe, but things do change and you’ve been here how long?”

He frowned in thought then shrugged.

“Two months? I think.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I spent a month in Stark’s tower and another month, give or take a week or so, where I currently am.”

“Longer than I thought.”

“Longer than I wanted.”

Rachel laughed, throwing her head back a little and smiling widely.

He had to admit that she had a very pretty smile, it contrasted well with her typically dark attire and attitude.

“Either way, my point is more valid now.”

“Your point being?”

“Someone has a little crush on their roomie.”

“Excuse me? No I don’t.”

“Not you,” she rolled her eyes.

Loki regarded her for a moment then shook his head.

“No, I highly doubt that.”

“I don’t, I noticed how she looked at you, there’s a bit of love in the air and you dashed those dreams.”

“I did no such thing, she overreacted.”

“Maybe,” Rachel shrugged, “or maybe you’re being purposefully oblivious in hopes of not hurting her when you leave?”

“I doubt that too.”

“You say that a lot when you’re being defensive.”

“I don’t.”

“You do and now you’re sitting there in my chair, pouting like a child and disrupting my Netflix binge because you’re both too childish to stop dancing around the fact.”

Loki glared at her and muttered a few curses at her in a language she couldn’t understand, to which she only grinned and blew a kiss at him.

“I love you too,” Rachel shifted back in her seat, squirming to get comfortable, “now if you’ll love me and leave me, I’d like to get on with this mess of a show.”

“You’re just going to leave me hanging like that?”

“Pretty much,” she shrugged, “you need to man up and talk to her, how are you able to be so smart and yet so stupid?”

“I’m not stupid.”

“Obviously you are when it comes to the ladies.”

Loki had to suppress another eye roll as she shimmied in her seat, making her chest move inside her tanktop that was decorated with a band logo that he didn’t recognize, something to do with bullets and Valentines.

“Must you do that?”

“Yes, it’s very freeing.”

He wrinkled his nose and got up from his seat, picking up his coat that he had draped over the arm of the chair before he carelessly flopped into it.

“I’m not going to sit here and watch you bounce yourself about.”

“No, because you’re going to go and talk this over, you know me suggesting you moving in was only so you could be closer to work, it’s handy only being five minutes away.”

Loki pulled on his coat and hastily did up the buttons.

“I suppose, I need to get back before it gets too late.”

“You could just Uber it.”

“Pardon?”

He turned to look over his shoulder with a bemused look, once again making Rachel laugh as she held up her phone.

“Uber, come on, you know,” she grinned at him before sighing dramatically, “you sound like such an old man sometimes.”

With an ease and speed that he had seen her work with multiple times, and continued to amaze him, she flitted her fingers over the screen before setting it down and looking back at him.

“Sit down, you’ll have a few minutes to wait before they arrive.”

“Who?” He asked, slowly sitting back down.

“The chariot to take you to your princess, duh.”


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

All the lights were off and the apartment was silent when Loki stepped in, though he wholly suspected that you were not asleep.

As he walked down the hall, he looked towards the bottom of your bedroom door and didn’t see a line of light that would indicate that you were up, but he was willing to take the chance anyway.

If you were even home yet.

Loki paused for a moment, standing outside your door as he steeled himself for what he had to do, something that he didn’t do too often in his life.

Admit that he was wrong.

Initially, he had raised his hand to wrap his knuckles against the door, but instead decided that it would be best if he simply entered the room, easy enough without the doors having locks and he completely suspected that you would have ignored his knock either way.

Turning the door handle, he winced a little as the springs inside squeaked and felt considerably louder within the silence of the hall than it typically would be, but despite a moment of hesitation, he continued to push the door open and enter the room with a soft call of your name.

You didn’t respond, but he could see a lump curled up on your bed and trusted the darkness to not be deceiving him and playing tricks.

He called again, stepping closer and mentally cursing the floorboards for creaking under his weight.

“Please don’t,” you mumbled, causing Loki to stop where he stood and let out a long sigh.

“I must, we should talk.”

“Why? So it can go back in the same circle?”

“No, we’re going to progress this time.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what you said last time.”

Loki grit his teeth and clenched his fists to stop himself from snapping, it was irritating to be resisted, but he knew it was true.

“I’m sorry that relationships have ups and downs.”

He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on your hip.

“Please talk to me.”

You remained silent and Loki rolled his eyes, feeling as if he were wasting his time but not allowing himself to be defeated.

“Fine, if you won’t speak then I shall.”

He felt you shift under his hand, though he wasn’t sure if you had moved with a shrug or if you had merely shifted in general.

Loki resisted rolling his eyes again and cleared his throat.

“Okay, I guess I’ll start with the fact that you never deserved to put up with me and my attitude, I’m sorry for being such a hassle but I was bitter and resentful at the situation I have been put in.”

“That was obvious,” you mumbled, the sound muffled by the arm you had curled beneath your head.

“I can believe so, I have been aiming to get better and feel that I have.”

You nodded slowly, there was no denying that his attitude had shifted for the better and that was ultimately where the problems had started.

At least when he was being an ass it was easy to dislike him, despite how attractive he was.

“I also need you to know that there is nothing happening between Rachel and I.”

You paused for a moment, your heart skipping a beat.

“Why would that matter to me?”

“Don’t try to work your way out of this, I may have been oblivious but it seems that others aren’t.”

You frowned, finally moving to sit up in bed to try and spot him in the dark.

“Fine, so you know, what now? You’re going to leave anyway.”

Loki sighed, his mind racing as he thought over the next step.

“I guess that was an extreme decision, but I thought it was for the best.”

“The best how?”

“To save you the extra heartache when I end up going back home, it will happen eventually.”

“I don’t think that’s your decision to make for me.”

“Perhaps it isn’t, but at the time I thought it was.”

Another silence falls over you both, the room standing still with the dark only adding to the atmosphere.

Eventually, Loki cleared his throat again and rubbed your hip.

“Are we done here?”

“For now, let me think it over and I’ll get back to you.”

“Okay,” he nodded, standing from his seat, “you’ll know where to find me.”

“I know, but I’d rather just see you over breakfast.”

“I can arrange for that too.”

He left the room and left you back to your thoughts.

Had the light been on, you’d have seen the smile that pulled at his lips.


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

The next morning, you woke up with a bounce in your step.

Despite the night of barely any sleep, mostly due to your own mind throwing decisions and finalities at you for hours, you still found that you were in a chipper mood and got out of bed early to surprise Loki with a shared, cooked breakfast.

It was rare for you both to share a morning meal together, let alone a filling one, so you hoped that he would appreciate the gesture too.

You had taken out all the ingredients you’d need and set them on the side before turning on the freshly filled kettle, letting that boil as you prepared the other bits and pieces you were going to make.

It was peaceful, getting lost in your own world as you cooked.

Unfortunately, you had only managed to plate up one lot of food before Loki decided to ruin the surprise by walking into the kitchen, noticeably clad in nothing but a pair on green boxers.

You narrowed your eyes, glaring at him.

He looked over and appeared to flinch before recovering as if nothing has happened and smirked coyly.

“Something the matter?”

“You did that on purpose.”

“What?” He looked down at himself as if just now noticing that he wasn’t wearing anything, “don’t flatter yourself, I mean, I have only just got out of bed, surely you can’t expect too much.”

“Sure,” you nodded slowly, “and you just happen to be wearing the tightest pair you own?”

Loki shrugged and chuckled, “Sometimes I like a little constriction, if it hassles you then perhaps you shouldn’t be looking.”

“You can’t dangle meat in front of a hungry dog, keep yanking it away and then be surprised when it bites.”

You turned away from him and cracked another egg to drop into the frying pan, not noticing that Loki had crossed the room, which would be no surprise as it would only be three quick strides with his ridiculous stature.

His cold hand rested on your hip as his chest pressed into your back, causing you to tense a little bit.

“Well then,” he said, learning down to murmur the rest close to your ear, “perhaps it’s time this dog got its bone.”

A shudder ran down your spine, which was a complete contrast to the laugh that you let out.

“That was awful.”

“It was, I apologise, I’m still not used to Midgardian pick-up lines.”

“Just take your breakfast and eat already.”

Loki laughed and stepped back, leaning over to take the plate from the counter to your left.

“My, someone changed their tune rather quickly.”

“I changed my tune? You’re the one sending me mixed signals and then walking in damn near naked.”

“I haven’t changed my tune at all,” his plate clattered onto the table as he took a seat, “in fact, were you not here I would probably be totally naked.”

You raised your eyebrow and looked over your shoulder, Loki casually used his knife and fork to move a bit of bacon onto a piece of toast before meeting your gaze.

“What? I have a penchant for reading while nude.”

“That’s good to know,” you nodded slowly, “but that doesn’t detract from the fact that you’ve spent most of your time here leading me in circles, are you finally going to admit to how you feel?”

He stopped for a moment, his fork lingering in the air before he shrugged and continued to eat, making you wait until he’d finished his mouthful before answering.

“No, I like to keep you hanging.”

You rolled your eyes and turned back to the food you were preparing to make sure it didn’t burn.

“Have you felt this way the entire time?”

“Of course not,” Loki scoffed a little, “emotions are complicated.”

“I suppose they are,” you nodded slowly.

“What? You expected us to fall in love over one wet weekend?” He asked with a chuckle.

“A girl can dream,” you laughed in return.

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Don’t worry, Loki, it’s not the first time you have.”

You plated up your food and set it on the table before moving to make two cups of tea, Loki’s eyes following you the entire time.

“Somehow, I doubt it’ll be the last,” you smiled over your shoulder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, look at you both getting along.  
> Sure would be awful if something were to happen....


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

In the world of retail, Christmas was a big hectic rush of fast-moving days and huge deliveries and agitated customers who didn’t seem to understand that you couldn’t magic a book out of your ass, especially ones that were out of print or even worse, didn’t exist at all.

Granted, this year was definitely better than last year in stress-factor, but the increase in hours was still taking a toll and by Christmas Eve you were more than ready to curl up and sleep forevermore.

You had managed to do all your Christmas shopping and sent off what needed to be sent to reach people in time for the big day, your S.H.I.E.L.D money feeling as if it had barely been dented after your huge debt write-off.

Loki had Christmas Eve off and had taken the time to do his own shopping and visit some of the friends he had made while working, he thought about attempting to visit his family but knew that it was pointless, seeing as Christmas wasn’t a thing amongst his people and his reason for visiting would merely come across as creeping to get back early.

Not that he would have minded going back to Asgard, but after all the hassles you had already gone through, he didn’t particularly wish to throw more spanners into the works.

Ever since the little meltdown the other week, you had both grown closer and you couldn’t have been happier.

The stress of the situation between you and Loki had been worse than the stress of Christmas at work and, considering the amount of shit you had to put up with there, that was saying a lot.

When you threw open the door to your home, a warm waft washed over you and you felt like your muscles had instantly turned into jelly with the relief.

It was freezing cold outside, the night wind making it even worse and you were glad to be home, especially as it was an hour and a half earlier thanks to Christmas hours.

You didn’t have to be in work now for three days and you were going to enjoy it as much as you could.

As you shrugged off your coat and rubbed your hands together in the hall, Loki poked his head out of the kitchen and gave you a warm smile.

“Welcome home.”

“Thanks,” you smiled back, though it didn’t feel as enthusiastic, but that may have been due to the fact that you couldn’t feel your lips at all.

“I made you a warm drink,” he stepped out and walked to you, a steaming mug of heaven in his hand.

“That’s thoughtful, amazing and I love you,” you laughed, taking the cup from him and attempting to ignore the sting of hot against cold as your skin warmed up.

“I know,” he chuckled, leaning down to peck a quick kiss to your lips.

It was still strange living like this.

Without the previous tension you both carried while in denial about your feelings for one another the air was clearer and you’d finally managed to come to an agreement.

You both agreed that you had been jumping to conclusions and settling on them and he had been oblivious, both faults had crossed and war paths had been created needlessly.

Now, you were testing the waters as a couple and you couldn’t have been happier.

“How was work?” He asked, moving back to the kitchen.

You followed behind him, your nose picking up a delectable scent of cooking food.

“Surprisingly busy for Christmas Eve.”

“That’s everyone doing the rushes,” he smirked, looking at you while stirring whatever was hissing in the pan atop the stove, “all the husbands picking up last minute rush gifts.”

You laughed and nodded in agreement, heading to your room.

“Yeah, happens every year.”

Setting down your cup, you hastily got changed into something more comfortable, obviously meaning your pyjamas, and walked back out to sit down in the living room just in time for Loki to waltz in with two glorious plates of food.

As you took your plate from him and set it on your lap, your stomach growled in anticipation.

“It smells amazing.”

“I hope it tastes it,” he smiled, adjusting his own cutlery in his hands, “it’s the best recreation that I could make of a dish from Asgard with Midgardian ingredients.”

“Look at my Loki, getting all Gordon Ramsey on me.”

“I doubt I’ll ever reach that level of national treasure.”

“It’s fine,” you shrugged, cutting up some of the vegetables on your plate, “we mostly love him because he swears a lot.”

Loki unpaused the TV and you both watched the documentary about the Ancient Egyptians that he had been invested in before deciding to cook, you both enraptured and eating in silence.

You loved it when Loki let his smart side show, the way he’d take in the Midgardian history that he was learning about and absorb it was something to be admired, the God was like a sponge for information and you loved the way his eyes would light up when he found another new thing to learn from.

This was how you knew that he was going to adore at least one of his Christmas presents from you.

Even though the plates sat empty for more than half the remaining runtime of the show, you both sat in your place and watched until the end, neither of you moving or talking beyond an odd comment here or there.

Once the show was over, you got up and collected the plates, shooting Loki a look that told him not to argue when he went to protest.

“You cooked, I’ll clean,” you said assertively while making your way to the kitchen, “how about you pick a movie and we’ll just chill for the night?”

“All right,” Loki chuckled, “but first I’m going to get changed as well.”

You heard his footsteps pad down the hall to his room and the door closed, as you waited for the water from the tap to heat up you let your mind wander about what outfit he would tease you with today.

He was fully aware of what he did to you and he loved to take advantage, making sure you got flustered every chance he got.

Fifteen minutes later, you regrouped in the living room.

Loki was ready and waiting with a movie waiting to play, a blanket partially covering his legs and giving you a glimpse of the black bottoms he usually wore to bed, meaning that he was, of course, completely topless as he seemed to enjoy being.

Sometimes, you swore he loved himself more than you loved him and you wished you had that kind of confidence.

You had only returned with some tea and a bowl of popcorn to sate any little cravings that would arise during the film, to set the mood a little more you turned off the living room lights and switched on the ones for the Christmas tree that sat in the corner.

“What are we watching?” You asked as you finally sat down on the middle cushion of the couch, leaning into his side.

“Well,” he said, moving the blanket to cover you and putting an arm around your shoulders, “I thought that we could watch Gremlins, apparently it’s a classic.”

You laughed and set the bowl down on your leg, getting comfortable against him.

“Gremlins it is, the first or the second?”

“The first.”

“Good choice as it totally counts as a Christmas movie, so it’s in theme.”

Loki laughed and started the movie, throwing the remote beside your feet at the other end of the couch then grabbing a handful of popcorn as you both settled to watch the film.

Time passed quickly and after Gremlins you picked another movie, one that you barely saw halfway to as your eyes started to droop and before you knew it, you were asleep.

You slowly roused again as the credits were rolling and had to peel your face away from Loki’s chest, where it had stuck as you slept.

Looking up at him, you smiled to see that he too had fallen asleep sometime during the film.

Slowly sitting up, being careful not to wake him, you moved the empty bowl and shifted the blanket away from your legs to reach over and grab the remote.

You stood up from the seat and stretched out, letting out a satisfied breath through your nose, once all your stuff muscles and joints felt a little looser you set about tidying up the cups you’d been using earlier.

After turning off the TV and the Christmas tree lights, you walked to the kitchen and quickly washed up the last of your used crockery.

A low moan from the living room drew your attention and you paused, wondering if he had been calling out for something, but when nothing followed you shrugged and continued with your task.

It was as you were drying your hands that another, considerably louder, moan came again and this time, it was easy to tell that it was one of discomfort.

Loki wasn’t one to make a lot, if any, noise as he slept and his stirring was beginning to worry you.

Throwing the towel to one side, you rushed back to the living room to check on him.

As you neared the end of the hall, you could see a strange light resonating from inside and couldn’t figure out what was causing it.

You had turned off anything that could cause that and no stand-by lights were bright enough to fill the room like that.

Slowly down, you peered into the room and stopped dead in the doorway.

Loki was led on the couch, his back arching and his teeth gritting as he groaned in discomfort or pain as a large green aura surrounded him.

His hands were clenched into fists and his breathing was coming out in sharp and harsh gasps.

Your voice faltered as you tried to call out to him, your heartrate accelerating as you wondered what you could possibly do.

You felt helpless.

When your brain finally kicked into gear and you took a step into the room it seemed that it was already too late.

Loki’s body gave a final jolt as the aura started to fade and he let out a loud gasp, taking in a deep breath as his eyes shot open, the same green light shining from them brightly until that too slowly faded and he eased back down onto the cushions, his breathing ragged.

“Oh my god,” you choked out, rushing over to the couch and falling to your knees beside it. “Loki?” You asked, looming over him and cupping his jaw to turn his head towards you, “are you okay?”

He gave another low groan and stared at you blankly as his breathing started to even out, you fretted that he was lost and done for until finally his eyes seemed to come back into focus and he looked up at you, his eyebrow furrowing.

“That was unpleasant,” he coughed out, gradually sitting up.

“What was?” You kept your eyes on him as you stood up and sat beside him, “what the hell was that?”

Loki glanced at you and let out a huffed and tired sigh, whatever had happened had obviously taken a toll on him.

Staring down at his right hand, he slowly raised it and you both watched as a green mist started to swirl around it, weak and first but getting stronger the longer he held it.

“I think my powers have returned,” he whispered, looking at you with uncertainty.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

It was no surprise to you that Loki collapsed onto his bed and slept until late morning, as opposed to his typical stupid-o’clock in the morning routine.

You, on the other hand, had barely slept a wink after what had happened.

With the house being so quiet and with nothing able to distract you, your mind kept wondering to what would happen from here.

Did his powers returning mean he had to leave immediately?

If he did, would you no longer receive the payments you had signed for?

What would happen between you both now?

When he finally shuffled his way into the living room, you were curled up in one corner of your couch and staring at the Christmas tree, the lights flashing in a pattern and illuminating the presents underneath sporadically.

You looked up and lowered the cup you were drinking from, giving him a soft smile as you cupped your hands around the mug to keep them warm.

“Hey,” you greeted, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I just got hit by a thousand carriages.”

He flopped onto the other end of the couch and let out a long sigh, dropping his head back and closing his eyes.

“I didn’t think getting my powers back would take it out of me so much.”

“I guess it’s no surprise, you looked like you were in serious pain,” you frowned, “will you be okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” he tilted his head and looked at you, smiling gratefully, “thanks for asking.”

“It’s alright,” you scooted towards his side of the couch and leaned against him, pulling the blanket over you both.

Loki shifted his arm to wrap it around your shoulders and you both sat like that in silence, minutes passing by as you both got lost in your own thoughts yet again.

“I prepared the food,” you said absently, fingers drumming against the mug.

“Great, we’ll open the presents and then put it on, ready for it to cook.”

You nodded and finished the rest of your drink.

Fifteen minutes later you were opening presents, though not with the amount of joy you had hoped the day would bring, the rain cloud above both of your heads not fully dampening the mood but leaving a small tension hanging in the air of the conversation that was inevitable.

You tried to push it aside and relish in the moment, especially when Loki opened the main present you had bought him, a particularly stunning set of encyclopedias on varying subjects and history from about the world, a set that without the payment from S.H.I.E.L.D you would never have been able to afford to buy typically.

He lit up at the seven book collection, his eyes sparkling and his smile wide, you even felt how grateful he was in the kiss he gave you.

Once all the presents were opened you set about cooking and enjoying your time together.

The day flew by and you vowed to make the best of it, not letting the gloom stop either of you from having a great day off.

You ate well, indulged in your new presents, cuddled and watched some more movies together.

It was nice and then night fell.

You were both lazing about, letting the stress of the past few weeks wash away as you finally relaxed and did nothing but half doze off with full bellies.

Eventually, with the excitement of the day over and silence looming again, your thoughts drifted back to your earlier dread and you knew that it was time to talk.

“Loki?”

“Hm?” He grunted tiredly.

“What happens now?”

“In regard to what?”

“You, your powers.”

“Oh,” he sighed and rubbed his eyes, sitting up straighter in his seat, “I guess I go home and talk with my father, it was his test so only he has a say in the final rule.”

“You must have done something right if he’s given you your powers back.”

“Yes, but from here I don’t know where I stand.”

“And if you passed, would you have to return home?”

“It’s not mandatory, I don’t think, but that would be the ideal.”

You frowned, looking at him and noticing that he looked equally as trouble as you felt.

“So you’ll have to leave me.”

Loki’s brows furrowed into a frown that matched your own and he shook his head.

“I wouldn’t want to.”

“Wanting to and having to are completely different things.”

He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stem off a headache.

“I know.”

You stared at him while he stared at his lap, neither of you knowing what to say.

It may have been your imagination, but you thought that you saw his eyes beginning to water as he licked his bottom lip.

You felt guilty for bringing it up and making him feel bad, that hadn’t been your intention.

Chewing on your lip you cemented a final decision, one that you had contemplated many times but never acted on.

Crawling across the couch, you gently nudged his jaw so he’d be facing you and leaned in, pressing your lips to his.

After testing the waters and waiting for a rejection to not receive one, you pressed harder into the kiss and moved onto his lap, your hands pressing to his chest as his own fingers traced up your thighs to rest at your hips.

Your heart leapt as he reciprocated your actions, even if they had seemed to come out of nowhere.

You were going to make him feel better and give him something to remember you by.


End file.
